Young and In Love: Continuing the Journey
by camilovesgreys
Summary: story picks up from the Young and In Love epilogue. Callie and Arizona plan to have another baby, but it's not an easy journey as life continues to bring new challenges and obstacles.
1. Chapter 1

I don't own anything…all credit goes to ABC/Shondaland.

Chapter One

 **I'm back! After the end of season 12 I really thought I could use some positive Calzona in my life. Not sure how long this story will be or how often I'll be able to update, but I promise to see this story through. Let the drama and fluff begin!**

 **Hope you enjoy!**

 **This is about two months since the California trip from the epilogue.**

Callie POV

"Alright, arms up." I instruct my daughter. This morning I'm on clothes duty while Arizona is on breakfast duty. She's downstairs feeding Noah, and I'm helping Sofia put on her outfit for school. Bending down on my knees so I'm eye level with my daughter, I place the blue shirt over her arms and head. "Shirt on, check. Now what kind of pants do you want to wear?" I ask standing up and looking through her dresser full of clothes.

"Mmmm, green shorts please!"

"Green shorts?" Digging through her draw I come across multiple pairs of green shorts. "Which ones, Sof? You've got a lot of green shorts." I hold up three options and she takes her time thinking about it. She scrunches her face and cocks her head to the side just a little, basically mimicking the way I examine scans at the hospital. It's very adorable.

"Those ones." She points to the pair in my left hand. "The ones with the pink ladybugs."

"Pink ladybugs it is!" Putting the other options away, I kneel down again and help Sofia step into her shorts. Once that's done, I place her on the edge of her bed and get her socks and shoes ready. "So you excited for school today?" I inquire, slipping on her socks.

"Yeah, Ms. Morrison said we get to paint outside today. I'm excited." She says giddy.

"That should be fun. We can put it on the walls like you other paintings." Sof's room is covered with pictures of her artwork. Arizona could only take so many to work and keep them on her desk, so now when she brings home a drawing or something one of us will go out and get it framed for her room.

"I wanna paint a butterfly, mama."

"Then that's exactly what you should do." After her shoes are on I watch as she goes into the bathroom and begins to brush her teeth. She doesn't need my help much anymore, but I just keep a close eye on her. I quickly straighten up her room and make sure her backpack is packed for class.

"Mama, I finished!" She says showing off her freshly cleaned teeth.

"Good job, Sof. Let me help you with your hair so you can go eat breakfast."

"Mmmkay, I wanna ponytail like you."

"I think I can manage that." I smile to myself. After hair is done, we go downstairs to Arizona and Noah.

"Mommy, look at my outfit today!" Sofia says running over to Arizona and modeling her clothes. "I picked it all out myself."

"Very good, Sof. You're getting good at that." My wife bends down to give Sofia a kiss atop her head before putting some dirty dishes in the sink. "I'll have your breakfast ready in just a sec, just have a seat."

"Okay." I help Sofia into one of the tall breakfast bar chairs while picking Noah up out his seat.

"You ready to get out of these jammies, bud?"

"Uh-huh." He nods wiping his fingers off on his pajamas.

"Good, let's get you changed then." I comment, giving him a kiss on the cheek. "How was he this morning?" I ask Arizona who's busy getting Sofia's breakfast ready and lunch packed.

"Very good. He at all his breakfast."

"Even the pineapple?"

"Yes, even the pineapple. I knew he'd come around to it."

"Well isn't that surprising. Last week he wouldn't even touch it."

"I know, but I think he likes it now."

"I love pineapple." Sofia interjects. "It's super sweet." She grins widely.

"That it is, we should be back down in a few."

"Okay, well Sof and I have to get going in fifteen minutes so come back down before that, I just want to talk to you real quick." Nodding in acknowledgment, Noah and I make our way out the kitchen and up the stairs.

"Mama, you like pwetty today."

"Aw, thanks Noah. That's very nice of you. You're like my own personal sweet talker."

"What's a sweet talker?"

"Uh, it's like a person who…never mind, but thanks for the compliment."

"What's a compliment?"

"It's when you say something nice about someone."

"Oh." He says flatly. I can tell by the look on his face he doesn't quite understand, but he's trying to piece everything together. "You know how every morning I tell mommy she's beautiful?" I start, placing him on the bed and undressing him.

"Yeah."

"Well that's a compliment."

"Why?"

"Why do I do it?" He nods in response. "Because it's a nice thing to do, and it's true. Your mommy is very beautiful."

"And you love her?"

"I do, I love mommy very much. She makes me very happy. Just like you. You make me happy too."

"Cool." A hearty laugh escapes my lips at his response.

"Yes, it's very cool. Let's get you cleaned up in the bathroom real quick." Walking into his bathroom, he stands on his stool while I get a washcloth and begin washing his face and the rest of his body. I help him brush his teeth and put on some fresh underwear.

"Alright, let's see what you've got in your closet to wear today." Lifting him up once again, we walk over to his closet and begin looking through options. After a couple of seconds I start to realize there is a whole section in the back of clothes with the tags still on them. "Arizona…" I mumble to myself. She buys so many clothes for the kids and I have no clue why. There has to be a reason behind it, this little obsession she has is going on for months now. "Why does mommy buy so many clothes, buddy?" I ask more to myself than to Noah.

"I dunno."

"Yeah, neither do I. Okay, well you are going to wear one of these new shirts. If she's going to buy them you might as well wear them."

"Okay." He says nonchalantly. After I change Noah into his new clothes, he helps me put some of the toys away in his room before sitting down and letting me help him with his sneakers.

"What do you think about a haircut today? It's been a while and your hair is getting long."

"That's cool." He answers a little preoccupied with a toy in his hand.

"Cool, huh? Is that your new favorite word?"

"I heard Sof say it."

"I'm not surprised. After we leave the hospital this afternoon we will go get you a haircut."

"Will it hurt?"

"Not one bit. I promise."

"Okay."

"How about we go back downstairs and I let you watch a little bit of television before we leave? Sound good?"

"Yes! Yes! Yes!" He answers excitedly while running out the room. Right on his heels, I follow him downstairs into the living room and get him set up to watch something. Moving back into the kitchen, I see Sofia finishing up her breakfast and hopping down from the chair to join her brother in the other room.

"We're leaving in five minutes, Sof!" Arizona calls out.

"Okay!" Sof faintly answers. Sliding up behind my wife, I place a hand on her hip and give her a kiss on the cheek.

"Good morning, again. You look very beautiful today." I whisper sweetly next to her ear.

"Thank you. You look very nice today too, babe." She replies before turning around. She grabs my face and pulls me in real kiss upon her pretty pink lips. I circle both arms around her back to keep her in place and pull her close.

"You taste like coffee. Really, really good coffee." I murmur against her lips.

"Good thing I saved you some." She responds, giving me one last kiss before we break apart.

"So what did you want to talk about?" I ask pouring myself a cup.

"Right. So I was thinking we have a talk tonight."

"Uh, okay. We talk every night." I answer, slightly confused at the request.

"I know, but I just want to make sure we are both here to actually sit down and talk. I don't have any plans tonight, you don't have any plans tonight and neither do the kids. So after they are all settled in for the night we can talk."

"Yeah, okay. That sounds good." I'm a little perplexed at her comment only because we talk all the time, but this time seems different because it's actually planned out. "This "talk" wouldn't be a metaphor for something else, would it? Cause I can think of a few things it could mean."

"Oh really?" My wife smirks. "Well I promise you tonight is just a talk, but if you have something else in my I may be open to the possibility." She leaves me with a kiss on the cheek before heading into the other room to get Sof. I continue to sip my coffee and snacking on some of the food Sofia left on her plate. Seconds later Arizona comes back into the kitchen to grab her purse and keys with Sofia right behind her picking up her lunch box and backpack.

"Bye mama! Love you!"

"Mama loves you too, Sof. Have a great day." I shout after her as she runs towards the door. "You got everything?" I ask my wife as she looks around the kitchen one last time before leaving.

"Yeah, I think so. I said goodbye to Noah, but I think he was more focused on the characters on the television." She laughs, "Anyway, I'll see you two later. Have a good day, love you."

"Love you too."

"Oh! I totally forgot, can you make Noah's lunch today?"

"Yeah, yeah of course.

"Hey Noah what do you want for lunch today?" I ask rummaging through the refrigerator. I hear his little feet patter into the kitchen and I pick him up and place him on the countertop.

"A sandwich."

"What kind?"

"Cheese, pwease!"

"Okay, cheese and what else?" I say pulling out the bread and cheese. "We got some turkey…salami…I think we have some ham left if you want a ham and cheese sandwich."

"No, only cheese."

"You want just a plain cheese sandwich?" I ask dumbfounded. Seems kind of boring to me.

"Mhmmm." He says grinning.

"Okay then. Ask you and shall receive." I throw together his sandwich and add some chips, grapes, cookies and a bottle of water into his lunch bag, and get his other bag for daycare ready. Once I deem the house relatively clean we head off to the hospital.

"Well that was easy enough. Took a little longer then I expected, but everything worked out well." Meredith comments as we scrub out of our surgery.

"Yep, and that's all that matters."

"I have an hour until my next operation, do you want to grab an early lunch?"

"Oh I would love to, but I can't. I have an appointment in five minutes."

"No worries. Is everything alright?" Grey asks drying her hands.

"Yeah, yeah. Just a routine thing. Shouldn't take too long. I'll come find you in the cafeteria afterwards."

"Sounds good. I'll save you a spot." Exiting the scrub room, I make my way up to Dr. Meyers' office.

"Hey Carmen, how are you?" I greet the young nurse.

"I'm great, Dr. Torres. How can I help you today?"

"I have an appointment with Dr. Meyers at eleven."

"She's just finishing up with someone else, but I'll let her know that you are here. You can have a seat in the waiting area with you wife."

"My wife?"

"Yeah, she just came in a few minutes ago." Carmen points over my shoulder making me turn around and sure enough I see Arizona with her head in some magazine.

"Oh okay, well, um, thanks Carmen." I give her a small smile goodbye and walk over to my wife.

"Arizona?"

"Calliope," She grins looking up. "I must've missed you walk in."

"Yeah, it appears so." I say taking a seat next to her. "Not that I don't love seeing you, but what are you doing here?"

"You have a doctor's appointment. I may have seen the reminder pop up on your phone this morning when you were in the shower. I wanted to be here with you and so we can talk to your doctor together about moving forward with everything."

"We're just going over lab results. Don't you have class right now?"

"Usually yes, but I took an hour off so I could be here."

"You really didn't have to do that, babe. I promise I would've come home and tell you all about it tonight."

"I know, but I'm here now and we can do this together."

"Dr. Torres, Dr. Meyers will see you now." Carmen alerts us. We get up and walk into my doctor's office.

"Callie, it's great to see you again. I see you brought your wife this time." Dr. Meyers says closing the office door as we take our seats. "It's good to see you again too, Arizona."

"Thanks, you too. I'm just here for moral support. You two just go along like I'm not even here."

"Well as Callie may have told you, these meetings usually don't last that long. I'll get straight to it. Callie, your results look okay. I use okay loosely because while you cholesterol levels have been coming down, it's at a slow pace considering how long you've been on your medication."

"But as long as they are coming down it's good, right?"

"In the grand scheme of things, yes. We certainly don't want them going up. I talked to Dr. Emerson and we decided to try something if you're up for it?"

"Like what?" I ask nervously.

"Don't worry, it's nothing bad, I think it might be really good. It's hard to tell if the medicine is working or if your declining levels are do to a change in your lifestyle like your eating habits and exercise, so instead of increasing your prescription we want to take you off the medication."

"Completely?"

"For at least three months. We will take some more tests again and see where we are. If your levels go up we will put you back on, but if not, we will continue to monitor you without any medication. We don't want you taking anything if you don't have to. What do you think?"

"I'm thinking that's fantastic!" I look to Arizona and she doesn't seem all that thrilled. "Arizona, what's wrong?"

"Nothing, but…I mean are you sure it's okay if she just stops taking it?"

"Arizona, don't insult the lady." I hiss between my teeth.

"It's fine, Callie. And to answer your question Arizona, yes. This is just a trial period, if Callie feels any major difference or starts having symptoms of a chest paints or a heart attack then of course we will make some adjustments, but from looking at her file and tracking her results over the past year, she's doing alright and we want to keep that up."

"Arizona this is good news." I try to convince her.

"But you said just alright, that's not good or great. It's just okay." She says staring at the doctor. "I mean what about the baby?"

"Baby? Oh, I'm sorry I didn't know Callie was pregnant." Dr. Meyers states looking between us.

"I'm not!" I quickly reply to the doctor before turning to my wife. "Arizona, what are you talking about?"

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean for it come out like that, but what if Calliope decides to become pregnant again. How will that affect her?"

"We would have to continue to monitor Callie, especially with her history with preeclampsia, but otherwise all other medical concerns should be discussed with your OBG/YN." She answers trying to calm my wife's nerves. "For right now Callie, you can stop taking your medication and we'll do another test soon."

"Thank you, Doctor. I'll set something up with Carmen later."

"Not a problem if you have anymore questions don't hesitate to ask me and that goes for you too, Arizona." She smiles as we get up to exit her office.

"How much time do you have before you need to leave?" I ask as we walk out of the office.

"About forty minutes."

"Good, come with me." I say, leading Arizona down the hallway. "You two, out!" I exclaim at two interns who are currently occupying the on-call room.

"But Dr. Torres, we just got in here." A naïve interns pleads.

"I don't care. Go sleep or have sex in another on-call room. I need to talk to my wife." With a loud huff they both reluctantly leave and I shut the door behind them.

"Well someone is bossy." Arizona smirks. "When are you getting your own office anyway?"

"Hopefully soon, my boss turned in his resignation so the Chief should be making a decision soon, but that's besides the point. What happened back there?" I ask softening my tone.

"I'm sorry I blurt out the baby thing, but I don't know how I feel about you not taking your meds anymore. You've done such a good job and you're healthy now. I don't want to rock the boat."

"I promise you I'm fine. I love that you're so concerned, but if it means anything to you I feel good."

"Yeah you felt fine a couple of years ago too, but then you had health problems so I'm not too sure about that logic." She readily quips.

"Fair enough. It's only temporary; if things change then I'll go back on the meds. It's simple."

"What if you go back on the meds and your pregnant, is that going to affect the baby?"

"I'm not even pregnant yet. I think you're worrying just a little too much. Can we just take a break for a second?"

"My concerns are valid, Calliope."

"I'm not saying they aren't, but you're a step ahead of me. This is why I said I'd talk to you at home about my appointment because with you here you get more riled up then necessary.

"Wow, is that seriously what you think?" She scoffs folding her arms across her chest.

"You're worrying about something that's not even real yet!" I soon realize I said the wrong thing because Arizona's face and entire demeanor diminishes. "Arizona, I—" I try to start, closing the gap between us, but she puts her hand up stopping me and takes a step back.

"Do you even want this, Calliope?" She softly and weakly begins, "Because you told me you did and I got excited. I thought _we_ were excited. We came back from California weeks ago and right away you had a check-up with your doctor saying you were healthy, but ever since then you haven't mentioned the baby thing at all.

"Yes, Arizona. I do want another baby."

"Then what is it? Are you scared or something? I told you I'd be by your side for everything and I meant it. If you don't want to carry I will. Sure, I'll miss out on my dream of seeing you with a big, round belly, but I'll do it if it means we will add another member to our family."

"You don't have to do that. I do want to try and carry again. Honestly." I reply locking eyes with her, "I guess I just haven't put that much more thought into it again."

"If you don't even have the time to think about it then maybe you aren't ready. It might not be a good time right now, especially if you get promoted to head of your department soon. It's bound to happen any day now. That's just going to mean more work and we both know how you get so invested into your job sometimes. It's not a bad thing, but it is what it is. And I want you to get that promotion so bad, you've worked so hard and you deserve it, and I'm so incredibly proud of you. I don't want to take that away from you, but we can wait six months or a year or something." I hear all the words she's saying, but I can tell from her wavering voice that she's disappointed. I think I got her hopes up more then I realized and now that things aren't moving as quickly she's starting to give up a little.

"If there's one thing my mother taught it's that family always comes first. It's ironic coming from her all things considering, but nevertheless I agree. I've always put our family first and some hypothetical promotion won't change that."

"So what do you want to do?"

"I want to have another baby with you now, but can we just finish this conversation later?" I ask stepping closer to her. "I rather have this talk later tonight at home, not in some on call room."

"Fine." She says letting out a sigh and cracking a little smile.

"Good, because I can think of much better ways to spend our remaining time together."

"Oh, like what?"

"Well for starters I could kiss you." Capturing her lips in a fast kiss I move us towards a wall to pin her against and rub my hands up and down the sides of her body.

"Oh no no no, Calliope Torres." She refutes, removing her lips from mine. "You're not going seduce me with your lustfulness after a very deep conversation."

"Why not? We decided to talk later and now we have some very rare alone time together. We should make the most of it." I respond while unbuttoning her shirt. "It's been a while since we've had an afternoon quickie."

"That is true, but that's not going to change today." She says swatting my hands away and buttoning her top all over again. "How about we grab a quick lunch?"

"I can think of something I'd love to eat right now." I reply sexily.

"Calliope, I'm being serious!" Arizona laughs.

"I am too!"

"Babe, I promise later we can mess around, but I'm hungry."

"Fine, fine." I concede, "Meredith is in the cafeteria now, we can meet her up there."

"Can we grab Noah from daycare too? I never get to eat lunch with him."

"Of course." I say opening the door, "Let's go pick up our little guy."

"He's going to be so surprised." Arizona says stepping out of the room. "Do you eat lunch with him all the time? Cause I would if I worked here." She adds exuberantly.

"I try to at least once or twice a week depending on my schedule. You know he asked for a plain cheese sandwich this morning?"

"Our son is a very picky eater, Calliope. He knows exactly what he wants. Kind of reminds me of you." She comments cheekily.

"Yeah, yeah." I wave off with laughter. After a rather speedy lunch with our son, Arizona went back to work and I was in the OR for the remainder of my shift due to a massive car accident. Looking through the big glass windows of the hospital daycare, I see Noah seated on the ground playing with toy trucks and cars. I walk into the room, greeting one of the daycare workers and signing him out before moving over to where Noah is sitting.

"Noah, you ready to go?" I ask crouching down to his level.

"Mama!" He yelps with joy. Toys completely forgotten, he jumps into my arms with his momentum briefly catching me off balance. "Is mommy here too?"

"No, she left after lunch but we will see her at home with Sofia later."

"Okay." He says returning to his original position. "You wanna play trucks and cars?"

"How about we play for five minutes before we go get your haircut, okay?"

"Yayyy!" He offers me a toy and we draw invisible lines in the ground together.

"Hey Noah, how come you're playing all by yourself? Where are your friends, buddy?"

"I dunno" He shrugs. "I like to play with only me cuz I get to make the rules."

"Is that right?"

"Yeah, and I always win!" He answers with a wide smile. We play together some more before finally packing up and heading out. Luckily for us the wait at hair place wasn't too long and were with home within an hour of leaving the hospital.

"Alright Noah, what's the plan for when you get inside?" I ask unbuckling him from his car seat.

"Find mommy and surprise her with my new hair."

"Exactly! As soon as I put you down I want you to run inside the house and find mommy."

"But you and mommy say no running." He replies scrunching his face in confusion.

"I know, but you can this time. I make the rules."

"Cool." He grins.

"Yeah, it is pretty cool." I chuckle to myself. As soon as his two little feet touch the ground he's off the running inside the house as I grab his backpack and my purse from the car before locking it. I'm barely three feet in the house when I hear my name being called.

"Calliope, please come here and explain what happened to my son's hair!" I wince my face at the tone of her voice. She's not angry, but clearly she's surprised.

"Coming!" I call back cheerfully. Walking into the kitchen I see Sofia coloring at the countertop and Noah sipping on a juice box in his booster seat. "Hey babe, how was work?" I ask giving Sofia a kiss on the cheek as well as Arizona.

"Explain please." She says pointing directly at our son.

"What? He just got a haircut." I comment nonchalantly.

"Callie, you and I both know that's not his typical haircut." I look to Noah for a little help, but he just giggles.

"Okay, so long story short Noah dropped his toy on the ground right when the scissors were cutting off a some hair. So that kinda messed up the look so we decided to cut everything off and go with a buzz cut. I think Noah looks very handsome." I say running my hand over his short hair.

"Well of course he does, he's our son. I just wasn't expecting his long brown hair to be gone."

"It'll grow back, mommy." Noah says in his cute voice. "I like it! Do you like it Sof?" Sof stops what she's doing and stares are Noah. Arizona and I hold give each other a questioning look because sometimes we never know what's going to come out of our daughter's mouth.

"Yeah, I like it. It's cool." Noah has a huge grin on his face, completely satisfied with his sister's response. "Can we go to the park now? You said we had to wait until Noah and mama got back."

"Sure, go get your shoes on and we'll leave in a bit." Sof hops down from her seat and heads upstairs.

"What about me? I've already got my shoes on." Noah boasts proudly.

"How about you go grab the soccer ball so we can kick it around at the park."

"Okay!" He says jumping down from his seat. Once he leaves the kitchen I take a seat at the countertop and Arizona hands me a bottle of water.

"So you're not really mad about the hair thing, are you?"

"No, I was just surprised that's all. And like he said, it'll grow back."

"Okay good. So I was thinking maybe we can fix the kids something for dinner and get them bathed and into bed and then we can order Chinese food for ourselves?"

"Yeah that sounds good."

"Ready!" Sofia and Noah yell in unison.

After an eventful time at the park, we came back to the house and relaxed together before whipping up some dinner for them. After baths and bedtime they easily went to bed without much urge to stay up longer.

"What do you want to drink?" My wife asks as she gets some drinks for us as I unpack the Chinese food.

"Just water please." Seconds later she joins me in the dining room with our drinks and we being to eat in comfortable silence. It's weird not eating with the kids, but it's a nice change.

"So how was your day?"

"Good. The students start to get antsy around this time because summer is almost here."

"Yeah, I bet."

"I actually got some really interesting news today?"

"Yeah, what was it?"

"Well every year the students vote on a teacher to speak at graduation and I was chosen!"

"That's great, Arizona! Congratulations." I lean over to give her a kiss on the cheek.

"I know it was pretty surprising. I mean I get along with the kids, but it was still shocking. All the teachers think it's a popularity contest and I guess to an extent it kinda is, but I never really paid much attention to it. There are so many great teachers."

"Yeah, but they picked you! That's a big deal."

"I guess. Now I have to prepare a speech."

"I'm sure you'll do great. Let me know when it is and I can try and take off to come hear you. I can bring the kids too."

"I don't want to make them sit through a long graduation, but you can come if you want."

"Of course I want to be there. I'm so happy for you, babe. Did you tell Teddy?"

"Yeah, she was happy too."

"That's great."

"Speaking of Teddy, she and Henry are trying for a kid."

"Really? That's good for them."

"Yeah, I know she'll be a great mom."

"Is that what you wanted to talk about tonight. More kids?"

"Well not really. I mean we still need to talk about us and our situation, but I actually wanted to talk to you about something else." She finishes with a soft tone. Seconds of quiet past and it's making me nervous. I watch as she fumbles with her fingers looking for the right thing to say.

"Arizona? Are you okay?" I ask reaching my hand over to hers to stop her movements.

"I'm fine, I just…I don't know why I'm so nervous."

"You can say it. I'm right here, good or bad." I respond reassuringly.

"I know. Of course I know that and it's not bad….at least I don't think."

"Baby, please just say it."

"So you know how I've been shopping lately on Saturday afternoons?"

"Uh yeah." I'm thinking she's about to explain all the extra shopping she's been doing for the last few months and possibly the baby clothes in the closet.

"Right, well once a week on Saturday's before I hit the mall I've been going to a psychologist. For therapy." Looking into her eyes I see a sign of relief that she's gotten that off her chest, but now I'm concerned about why she's going and why she didn't tell me. "I've only been going for about a month, but it helps."

"Helps with what? What's going on, Arizona?" I ask scooting my chair closer to hers.

"I don't know, I've just felt like I needed to talk to someone. Teddy mentioned it quickly one time and I found someone I like."

"You know you can talk to me, right. I'm always all ears with you."

"I know, I know and I love talking to you, but I just felt like I needed to talk to someone else, a professional. She's really nice. Her name is Susan and we just talk for an hour."

"Are you feeling depressed or something?" I'm not trying to pry too much, but I would like some answers as to why my wife felt like she needed to go to a professional to talk about her feelings.

"No, it's nothing like that, but I just haven't felt like myself all the way." It's then that I feel a pang of guilt because I haven't noticed anything different with her. She's been her fine, usual self, at least I thought so. "After our session I go shopping."

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"I just wanted to figure things out for myself first. To see if I would like the doctor and if it was something I would really enjoy. Honestly I was a little embarrassed too. Therapy has a stigma to it. I mean from the surface it would seem that I'm okay. I'm young, happily married with two great kids, a rewarding job and I'm financially stable. It would seem like I have the perfect life."

"Everyone has shit to deal with, babe. Regardless of circumstances."

"I know."

"So how long are you going to keep seeing doctor…"

"Doctor Susan Thomas."

"Doctor Thomas."

"I'm not sure, but the reason why I bring this up tonight is because I want you to come to my session tomorrow."

"Me? Wh-what? Why?" I've always been a little apprehensive of psychologists. I respect their jobs and they really do help people, but I always felt uncomfortable with the idea of sitting on a couch and telling a stranger my thoughts and feelings.

"Well you come up a lot. I talk about you and the kids all the time. She said it would be good for you to come in for a session. Teddy already said she could watch the kids in the afternoon."

"Arizona…"

"Please Callie. You don't have to come again, but I'd really like it if you come with me just once."

"If you want me to come, I'll come." My uneasiness is something I can get over for my wife. If she wants me there I'll be right by her side with her hand in mine. "Of course I'll be there, Arizona. I love you." I lean forward to give her a kiss and soon her the light patter of child's feet.

"Mommy? Mama? I woke up and I can't get back to sleep." Sofia sleepily whispers while rubbing her tired brown eyes.

"Hmmm, maybe another book will do the trick. Let's go pick out a book, baby girl." I say picking her up. "Be right back." I say to Arizona and she gives me a nod.

"I'll clean up here and pick out a movie to watch in the basement."

"Sounds good."

"Night, night mommy." Sofia waves to Arizona.

"Sweet dreams baby girl. Love you."

"Love you too." Our daughter replies before resting her head on my shoulder. As I carry her through the kitchen and up the stairs I quickly reflect on my day. While the kids and job are part of my usual routine, the baby discussion and finding out about my wife's therapy definitely through me for a loop. It seems like the next few months are going to be more eventful than I originally thought.

 **AN: I know it may seem like a lot happened in this chapter, but I have a plan (for at least most of it).**

 **Thanks for reading and thanks to musicforsoul for letting me bounce ideas and thoughts off you.**


	2. Chapter 2

I don't own anything…all credit goes to ABC/Shondaland

Chapter Two

Arizona's POV

Sitting on Dr. Thomas' couch, I twiddle my thumbs as I watch the trees sway lightly in the breeze through the long glass windows. Something about this office is very calming and relaxing. She probably set it up that way for a reason given her profession, nonetheless I'm at ease in here.

"Arizona, you've been quiet. Is everything alright?" Susan asks putting aside her pen and paper and leaning forward. From our first appointment she told me to call her Susan. I guess it's her way to make her clients feel more personal to her. "You're usually more talkative."

"I know, I just want to wait for Calliope to show up." I answer returning my attention to Susan.

"I'm sure she'll be here, by my count she's only five minutes late. She did say she was coming, right?"

"Yeah, we talked last night when I told her I've been going to therapy, briefly this morning and I sent her a text on my way over. We were supposed to come in together, but of course she got called to hospital. Even so, she usually lets me know if she'll be late or something. If anything a nurse will call on her behalf."

"Have you gotten any calls or texts from her yet?"

"Nope."

"Then she'll be here. Maybe it's traffic." Susan answers calmly. That's one thing I like about her. Her demeanor never wavers. Thirty more seconds of silence pass before she speaks up again. "So you told Callie last night, how did that go?"

"Pretty good actually. I think she was surprised, but that's a natural instinct. I was happy I finally told her because I don't really like keeping things from her. She agreed to come in, which was what I wanted. Our conversation got interrupted because Sofia woke up and had trouble going back to sleep, so Callie took her upstairs to get her settled. Then we just watched a movie until we both fell asleep."

"Did she have any questions?"

"A few, but I think I answered all of them."

"Well that's good." She says giving me a warm smile.

"You know, maybe I should call the hospital and make sure she didn't get pulled into a long sur—" A knock on the door ends my thought as Susan gets up to answer the door.

"Hi, I'm so sorry I'm late. Ran a little longer than I expected at the hospital. I'm Callie." She offers her hand to Susan who readily accepts it.

"Not a problem at all, welcome Callie. I'm Susan. Please come in." I stand up as my wife walks in throwing me a sympathetic smile before placing a peck on my lips.

"I'm so sorry, Arizona." She whispers in my ear while embracing me in a hug.

"It's okay, I'm just glad you're here." I reassure her. She takes a seat on the couch next to me as Susan reclaims her spot in her chair in front of us.

"Well, now that we have everyone here we can start. First off Callie it's a pleasure to meet you. Arizona has told me so much about you and your wonderful kids. It's nice to put a face to a name."

"Thanks, I hope it's been all good things she's told you." My wife replies with a nervous chuckle.

"Arizona has nothing but nice words for you. I'm glad you decided to come in. I suggested Arizona bring you in for at least one session. If nothing else just to meet me and answer any questions you may have. Arizona told me she told you last night about her decision to come see me, how did that make you feel?" Callie looks to me and I give her a reassuring nod.

"Um, it definitely caught me by surprise. A part of me felt bad because I thought she was fine this entire time, but obviously something made her turn to therapy as some sort of outlet." Before I can interject, Susan speaks up.

"First me let me assure you that your wife is perfectly fine." She starts, making eye contact with me. "Nothing is wrong with Arizona. People see me for a wide range of reasons. Some dealing with heavy issues and others just to talk for an hour each week. Sometimes people just want someone to listen. Not saying that you don't listen to Arizona, but each person has their own reasons."

"I understand. If you don't mind me asking what do you guys talk about?"

"Arizona, would you like to tell her?"

"Sure." I say turning my attention to Callie. "We talk about different things. You, me, the kids, work, my parents and Tim. Whatever is on my mind I guess. Last week we talked about babies."

"Babies?" She questions raising an arched eyebrow.

"About maybe having another kid." I say looking at Susan again for her input.

"Arizona mentioned to me that you two talked about having another kid. You all went on a family vacation to California and had a conversation about it."

"Uh yeah, it came up. We actually talked about it again yesterday."

"And what are your thoughts about it?"

"I'm excited. I think we both are. I got a little sidetracked, but I'm ready." Callie answers sincerely. "She's a great mom. I know she had some doubts, but she's amazing with Sofia and Noah. She knows which toys to bring in the car for the kids to play with if we're going on a long drive. She knows Noah's favorite episode of Sesame Street and Sofia's favorite leotard to wear to dance class even though they are all pink. She knows everything there is to know about them and does it all while looking incredibly sexy." Callie finishes, making me blush in the process. "I didn't think I could love her even more, but seeing her with the kids amazes me everyday. From being gracious, kind, loving, and completely understanding with Sofia to protecting and growing our son and bringing him into this world. I would love nothing more than to have another kid with Arizona."

"That was very sweet of you, Calliope." I whisper to her, giving her a kiss on the cheek.

"I gotta say, Callie. I think some of my clients would love to hear their spouses talk about them like that." Susan says gaining our attention again.

"I meant every word. I don't think I say it enough to her. I probably take for granted everything she does, but it doesn't go unnoticed."

"It's funny you say that cause Arizona has said similar things about you. I think both of you understand and appreciate what the other does for each other and the family. It doesn't have to be said all the time, but it is nice to hear every now and then."

"Is this what couple's therapy feels like?" Callie asks with a soft laugh.

"It can." Susan answers with a chuckle herself. "From what it looks like you two get along. Is there anything you want to bring up? Some people feel having a third party present makes it easier to talk."

"I don't know…" Callie says apprehensively. "Do you have something, babe?"

"I mean I brought up your busy schedule at an earlier session."

"What about it?" She asks serenely.

"Well we've had discussions about it over the years and I know you try to be home as much as you can, but I still feel like the hospital takes you away from us. I've just gotten to a place where there's nothing I can do about it. I know you're trying and that's enough for me."

"Do you feel you're home enough, Callie?"

"I think so. My schedule just isn't as consistent as Arizona's. She gets summers off and is home by four each day with the exception of the occasional late meeting. Sometimes I have to leave in the middle of the night or I'll get home after the kids have gone to bed, but it's never intentional."

"And I know that, but it doesn't make it easier. I've gotten used to it. Sometimes she'll go weeks with being home by five or six, other times I've got to go the hospital and pick up Noah while she continues to work. I'm not mad about it, but do I wish she were home every night at six for family dinner? Of course."

"I'm sorry, Arizona."

"You don't have to apologize, I'm just saying getting interrupted by your pager during sex isn't fun for anyone."

"Arizona." Callie states slightly embarrassed.

"Don't worry about it, Callie. From what Arizona has told me intimacy doesn't seem to be an issue for you two."

"Really, babe?" Calliope questions.

"I didn't say much." I shrug.

"It's really okay. So, we've heard from Arizona about your schedule. Is there anything you want to bring up now, Callie?"

"The only thing I can think of is her shopping. It doesn't bother me, but I've noticed it's increased a lot. I guess I'd just like to know why."

"Arizona has mentioned to me that she enjoys shopping in her free time. Seems like a normal hobby for anyone. Is there something more to it?" Susan asks looking at me.

"I don't know. Who doesn't love a little retail therapy?"

"Arizona, it's more than just a little." Callie quips.

"Look, it's just my thing. We all have our own things we like to do."

"I know, but it just started randomly. You used to only shop occasionally and now it's multiple times a month."

"Is it causing a strain financially?" Susan interjects.

"No." We answer at the same time.

"We're pretty good on the money front, it's just now I'm finding clothes in the back of the kids closets with the tags still on them. It just seems excessive." Callie states. She's trying to remain calm, but I can tell it's bothering her some.

"Arizona, is there a reason why you turned to shopping or did something happen that made you turn to shopping?" My psychologist questions. I recall my first big shopping trip that started it all. It was after a very stressful day and I needed an escape. Callie is right, I only used to shop when I need too, but now it's just become a habit. I don't think it's out of control, but it's clearly something that's developed over the past months.

 _Flashback – about a year ago_

 _Today was supposed to be a fun, productive day. Callie had to go in early for a surgery and said she would be back by mid afternoon and promised to bring home ingredients to make a cake. Something the kids love to do with her. Sof and Noah were supposed to have a fun day around the house while I caught up on the laundry and got the house in order. We're so busy during the week that Callie and I use at least half the day on the weekend to clean up. With two young kids things always get out of place. Unfortunately my day did not go as planned._

 _It's three o'clock in the afternoon and the house is still a mess, Callie isn't home and the kids have been all over the place today._

 _"Mommy! Mommy! Come look at me!" Sofia shouts. She's in the basement with me while I try and fix this damn washer machine. My laundry day took a turn for the worse when the machine decided not to work today and I have no reason why._

 _"One sec, sweetie." I call back. She's been practicing her dance moves, but I just haven't been able to pay that much attention at the moment._

 _"Mommyyy! Please!"_

 _"Okay, okay, I'm coming." I reply leaving the laundry room and walking back to my daughter who's dancing right in front of the television. "Show me your moves, big girl." As soon as she starts, Noah's cry though the monitor alerts me that he's up from his nap._

 _"One sec, let me go get your brother."_

 _"Mommyyyyy." She whines putting her little hands on her hips._

 _"Sof, cool it on the whining, please. Let me go get your brother so we can both watch you." I say as Noah's cries get louder and louder. "How about you come up to the kitchen and take a little break. You've been dancing for a while down here."_

 _"Okay." She says taking my hand and walking up the stairs with me. Sof stays in the kitchen while I run up and get Noah from his room._

 _"Hey big guy. How was your sleep?" I ask picking up a wide-awake Noah and placing him on my hip as we walk back downstairs, kicking toys out the way in the process. "Did you have a good dream?"_

 _"Uh-huh."_

 _"Good, let's get your sister something to drink and then we can watch her dance."_

 _"Kay."_

 _"Hi NoNo!" Sof greets as we enter the kitchen._

 _"Hey Sof…mommy I gotta potty."_

 _"Now?" He nods his head up and down aggressively. "Alright, you go into the bathroom, I'll be right there." I say putting him down as he scampers off. "Sof, what you want to drink, big girl?" I ask lifting her on the countertop._

 _"Apple juice!"_

 _"Apple juice coming right up!"_

 _"In a big girl cup!" Sometimes Callie and I let Sofia drink out of a "big girl cup" which is really just anything besides her usual plastic cups._

 _"Can you handle a big girl cup on your own?" I ask pouring her juice._

 _"Mhmmm. I use both hands to hold it." She says wavering her hands around._

 _"Okay, you drink up while I go help your brother in the bathroom."_

 _"Okay." She says as she readily accepts her cup. "When will mama be home?"_

 _"Soon Sof, real soon." Walking into the bathroom and I see Noah has stripped down to his underwear and standing on the little stepstool by the toilet. "Ready big guy?"_

 _"Mhmmm." The next second I hear glass hit the floor and shatter. Five seconds later Sof starts to wail. "Shit." I mumble under my breath. Running back into the kitchen I see tears streaming down my daughters face and she looks at the mess she made on the floor._

 _"I'm sorrryyyy mommyyy. I'm sorrryyyyy."_

 _"Shhh, shhhhh, shhh. It's alright Sof. It was an accident." I say trying to comfort her. "Stay right here. I'm gonna go get a broom." Stepping out the kitchen real quick, I look to the nearest closet for the broom._

 _"Noah, no!" Sofia yells._

 _"Fuck." I whisper to myself._

 _"Mommmyyyyy!" Sof shouts._

 _"Coming!" I answer running back into the kitchen._

 _"Owwwwww!" Noah cries pointing to his foot. He stepped on a piece of glass and I see some blood drip as he picks up his foot. Sofia's cries have turned into hiccups, as she see's her brother in pain. I quickly pick up Noah and carry him into the room and plop him on the couch while I search get the first-aid kit._

 _"Sof, stay right there! Don't jump down." I warn as I tend to my son. "It's gonna be okay, buddy. Just a little boo-boo. I'll put a Band-Aid on it and you'll be all better."_

 _"It hurtsssss!"_

 _"I know it does sweetie. I'm so sorry." My phone vibrates in my back pocket and I quickly pull it out thinking it's Callie but it turns out it's my mom. "Here, hold my phone while we talk to Grandma." I say passing him the phone to hopefully distract him and putting it on speaker._

 _"Hey mom. I can't really talk right—"_

 _"Arizona, I'm in the hospital with your brother."_

 _"What?! What happened?" I ask frantically._

 _"He got in an accident."_

 _"It's minor sis, mom is overreacting." I hear Tim call out in the back. "Barely a scratch."_

 _"He was driving too fast. They had to put him in an ambulance. The hospital called me in the middle of book club."_

 _"Is he alright?"_

 _"I'll be fine. I'm waiting to get discharged." Tim calls out again._

 _"Mommyyyy! I'm thirstyyy!" Sofia shouts from the kitchen._

 _"It still hurts, mommy." Noah states, wincing in pain._

 _"Is that my Noah? What happened?"_

 _"Just a cut. Ma, I gotta go. Tell Tim to call me later." As much as I'm concerned about my brother it seems not to a big deal and I honestly don't need any more distractions right now. I need a second to breathe and I can't even do that right now. I finish cleaning up Noah's cut and take him to the bathroom._

 _"Mommmyyyy. I'm thirsty."_

 _"I know you are, but just one sec. I need to take your brother to the bathroom." The last thing I need is Noah making an accident. Sofia continues to scream as I close the bathroom door and help Noah. Sofia's screams soon turn into cheers as I hear the front door open and close and Callie tends to Sofia._

 _"Arizona?!" Callie calls out._

 _"In the bathroom with Noah." I reply. Once Noah finishes and we wash his hands we go back into the kitchen where Sofia is happily perched on Callie's hip drinking out of a plastic cup._

 _"What the hell happened?" She asks looking around. She notices Noah's reddened cheeks, the glass on the floor and my disheveled look._

 _"You're late."_

 _"I know. I texted you saying I would be. Why is there glass on the floor?"_

 _"Sofia dropped a glass and Noah stepped on a piece."_

 _"Is he alright?"_

 _"He's fine. Can you take him please?" I demand more than ask as I pass him off._

 _"Sure." She says holding both kids in her arms. "Are you okay?"_

 _"I'm fucking fantastic." I answer dryly and sarcastically._

 _"Mommy said a bad word!" Sof swiftly points out._

 _"It's alright, Sof." Callie quickly answers as she notices my fatigued demeanor._

 _"Mommy's a little tired. Let's give her a break." Leaving her with the kids I make my way upstairs. I lie down in the middle of the bed and let out a huge sigh of relief. I almost want to cry, but I hold back tears. My phone vibrates again alerting me of an email. I notice that Callie did text me an hour ago notifying me she would be late. I close my eyes and try to compose myself. Today was one of the roughest days I've had with the kids. I love them to death, but sometimes it just feels like I can't do it. I'm mad at myself more than anything._

 _"Babe, what happened today?" Callie asks walking into the room._

 _"Where are the kids?"_

 _"Watching something on tv. I told them we'll bake a cake later and that seemed to satisfy them."_

 _"The washer machine is broken and my brother is in the hospital."_

 _"Okay…" She starts softly as she takes a sit on the bed. "Is he alright?"_

 _"He's fine."_

 _"What happened to the washer?"_

 _"I don't fucking know, Callie. It just isn't working." I spit out more forcefully then I intend._

 _"Okay, I'll figure it out. Are you okay?"_

 _"I just need to get out of the house. I just need to go." Sitting up, I put on my shoes and grab my bag._

 _"Take all the time you need." She says getting up. "Love you."_

 _"Love you too." Within five minutes I'm out the house and in my car. I know Teddy is out of town with Henry and it's too early in the day to go drinking. After driving around for half an hour I end up at the mall. As I browse the stores I see some clothes that I know Sofia and Noah would love. I'm not mad at them at all, they are just kids after all, but today I was overwhelmed. I end up spending three hours in the mall and buying numerous outfits before returning home. Of course when I walk in the house smells like one of Callie's home cooked meals, a freshly iced cake is sitting on the counter and the kids and my wife are sitting around the table eating and smiling. Callie smiles when she sees me and gets up from the table._

 _"You're right, the washer is broken. I'll call someone Monday to have them come fix it. The kids and I baked a cake that we would love for you to try and you can rest for the night. I'll clean up and get the kids in bed." She says before giving me a kiss._

 _"Thank you." I state with a smile. "I'm gonna run these bags upstairs and I'll be right down."_

 _End flashback._

"So you had a rough day and turned to some retail therapy. That's perfectly fine. But it seems you've kept up the habit." Susan points out.

"I have. It's just something I like to do now. It takes my mind off things. Does it bother you?" I ask turning to my wife.

"No, well a little bit, but only because I find bags of clothes around the house. I would only suggest maybe not buying everything, or buy something for you. Noah and Sof will be okay. I just didn't know why it started. You never told me. I remember that day clearly. I guess I just never connected the two. Look, I get it. Sometimes it seems like there are ten of them. I mean when you were at that conference a couple months ago I broke down."

"What happened?"

"Just lots of running around and being all over the place. I couldn't contain them. After I finally got them to sleep I curled up with a bowl of ice cream and called Addison crying. I told her I was a terrible mom and how I needed you."

"Callie I called you that night. You didn't say anything."

"Of course I didn't. I didn't want you to worry. You were coming home the next day and the kids were perfectly fine, they just got the best of me."

"So it looks like you both had your hard days with the kids and that's totally normal. Adding another one to the mix will be challenging, but also exciting for your family." Susan mentions.

"I'm looking forward to it." Callie says with a smile.

"I'm happy for you two. It looks like our time is up, but I think both of you for coming in. It was nice to meet you, Callie." She says standing up and shaking my wife's hand. "And I'll see you next week Arizona."

"Thank you." I mention as we exit. I feel good about the session. "That was good, right?" I ask turning to Callie.

"Yeah, it wasn't as bad as I thought."

"See, I told you." I tease.

"Yeah, yeah. Meet you at home?"

"I'm right behind you."

Twenty minutes later Callie and I both arrive home to relieve Teddy of her duties.

"You're kids are awesome, cute little angels. We had a good time." Teddy says as she gathers her things. "And you're welcome."

"For what?" Callie asks.

"They are both napping." She throws us a wink as she exits the front door. We plop ourselves on the couch in the living room and kick our feet up on the end table.

"I like your doctor. She's nice."

"She is."

"How long do you think you're going to keep seeing her?"

"I don't know. She just gives me a safe space to vent. Not that I don't feel comfortable around you, but it's just different."

"I get it. You know I'm always here."

"I know, babe. And I love you for that." We lock eyes and I lean into give her a kiss.

"So, I was late today because something happened at the hospital."

"If it's gruesome I don't wanna know."

"It's not, I promise. The Chief called me in for a meeting." That sparks my interest so I sit up and give her my full attention.

"And…."

"And…I got the promotion!" She says cracking a wide smile. "You're looking at the new Head of Orthopedics at Seattle Grace!"

"Calliope! That's amazing!" I enthusiastically reply. "Not only am I looking at the new head of ortho, I'm married to her! I'm extremely proud of you, babe."

"Thank you. I mean we all knew it was coming, but it was nice to hear it from the Chief."

"So what does all of this mean? How will things change?"

"Not that much, really. I mean my old boss already had one foot out the door. I've basically been doing everything, but I'll have to show my face at more meetings. It's mostly more paperwork. I know we just talked about adding another kid and my schedule, but I'll figure something out. It might not be easy, but we can make it work."

"I know we can."

"And the best part is I even get my own office." She grins.

"It's about damn time."

"It gets even better."

"Let me guess. Your own closer, personal parking spot?"

"Well yeah, but that wasn't what I was going to say."

"Oh, well tell me, tell me!" I plead giddily.

"I made an appointment with the doctor to start the hormone shot process."

"You did?!" That really catches me off guard. I thought we'd have another conversation or something, but I'm happy nonetheless.

"I did."

"So we're really doing this, huh?"

"We really are."

 **Thanks for reading!**

 **AN: thanks for the kind words/comments. And again thanks to musicforsoul for helping me out.**


	3. Chapter 3

I don't own anything…all credit goes to ABC/Shondaland

Chapter Three

Callie's POV

"Well I had to come check it out for myself." My wife says sitting down on my couch in my office. It's been two weeks since I've got my promotion and Arizona bought me a new couch as a gift. I texted her when I arrived at my office today after leaving her graduation speech – which was perfect. When I walked in the hospital staff had replaced the old brown one with the new blue one she purchased. Without me knowing, she surprised me ten minutes ago in my office. "Do you like the blue?"

"I love the blue!" I exclaim, getting up from behind my desk and walking over to her. "If it were a few shades lighter I'd say it reminds me of your eyes."

"Hmmm, maybe that was my plan." She smirks, reaching out for my hand and pulling me down to straddle her hips. "That way you'd never forget about me."

"Oh baby, I couldn't forget about you even if I wanted to." I reply, pecking her lips. "You're always with me." I say holding up my hand and revealing my "A" tattoo on my ring finger that I got years ago on our honeymoon.

"I love the sound of that." She responds kissing my ring finger. "You know, I've always had a thing for offices."

"Is that so?" I ask raising an eyebrow.

"Mhmm, I think it has to do with the close quarters and privacy. They are so professional, and the thought of doing anything personal or intimate in one kinda gets me feeling rebellious and excited." She answers softly while gripping my hips and pulling me closer into her lap. "It's definitely a turn on. Just like you in these navy scrubs."

"Well I'm glad I could help." Leaning down a little, I capture her lips in a passionate kiss. I circle my arms around her neck loosely as her hands run up and down the sides of my body. "Mmmm, I've missed you and our private time."

"I know, me too. But now I'm done with work for the next couple of months, so that should help some. I don't think I'll be as tired or busy."

"So, does that mean more of these office visits?" I ask while she raises my arms and helps lift off my scrub top.

"I can definitely see more of these in the future." She grins, biting her lower lip at my newly exposed chest. Kissing her again, I feel her hands come up and unhook my bra and toss it to the side. I roll my head back as I feel her hands cup and massage my breasts.

"Mhmm, that feels so good, Ari."

"Yeah?"

"Uh huh. So, so good."

"Good, I'm glad baby. I always want to make you feel good." She husks, leaning forward and placing a kiss between my breasts. Looking at her beautiful face, I see the lust in her eyes growing as my body becomes more alive with her hands all over me. "You know, you've always been one to talk about my ass, but I don't think we talk about yours enough." I feel her hands travel down my body and slip into the back of my scrub pants and under my thin underwear.

"Oh really?"

"Yeah, I mean I just love the way it fits in my hands." Lifting up just a little, I feel her hands grab and knead my ass. "I love the way when I squeeze it just enough you make that sexy face."

"What face?"

"That one right there." Giving me a pleasurable squeeze, my mouth falls open a little as a soft moan comes out. "Fuck, that's so sexy Calliope."

"Ari?"

"Talk to me, baby."

"I'm wet."

"Say it again."

"Fuuckkk, I'm so wet, baby." I don't knowi if it's a side effect of the fertility drugs I've been on for the past week and a half, her hands all over me, the fact that we haven't had much time to be intimate, maybe the fact that she's just so damn sexy or maybe a combination of all everything. But I do know that I need her and want her to badly right now. I kiss her again, this time with more desire and force. It only takes a couple of seconds before I feel her tongue in my mouth. Moaning at the feeling, I begin to rise up and down against her looking for some relief. One hand comes around to my center and I let out a rousing sound as her fingers trace up and down my wet slit. "In me. I need you in me. Now." I whisper out against her mouth.

"Like this, baby?" She asks knowingly. Her fingers slowly sink into me and my breath gets caught in my thought as she begins moving within.

"Y-yes…just like that. Oh god….yesss, Ari." We start to build a nice rhythm as I feel her thumb being to rub my throbbing clit. My breaths become heavier and ragged as she works magic with her fingers, making me feel incredibly good.

"I love seeing you like this, Calliope. So let go and free, and knowing that I can make you feel this way. It's so sexy.

"Mhmm, keep going, Ari. I'm almost there baby."

"I know you are. I can feel you and feel so good." Getting closer to climax with each passing second, I start rocking faster against her fingers and hand. A light sheen of sweat begins to form on my chest, as I get closer to the edge. "Shit, your boobs look soo good baby. Right in front of my face, just how I like it…mhmm and your nipples are so hard." She says right before taking my left breast into her mouth. A silent satisfying cry leaves my mouth as she uses her tongue to swirl and lick my breast and nipple. My hands tangle in her hair and hold her close. The combination of her fingers inside me and her mouth on me pushes me over the edge as I come in her hand, on her lap, on the couch, in my office at work. Only the hustle and bustle of the hospital outside my office can be heard over our breaths as we both regain our energy.

"I'm really liking this new couch."

"You and me both." She says leaning her head back against the new piece of furniture. "I'm glad we got to break it in."

"You and me both." I quip right back. Reaching over to the coffee table to the side, I pass her some tissue and some hand sanitizer. As she cleans up, I begin looking around for my discarded items.

"What are you doing?"

"Looing for my bra and top." I start to get up, but she puts her hands on my thighs to keep me in place.

"Just stay for a second. Please. I want this time for us. Even if it is in your office for a couple of minutes."

"Okay." I answer understandingly.

Don't worry, I locked the door when I came in."

"I'm starting to think you had this in mind the entire time."

"Maybe." She smirks while running her hands up and down my thighs and leaning up to give me a kiss. "You really do have great boobs." She states staring at my chest and making me blush. "Seriously, babe. I could look at them all day."

"Well good thing they are yours to look at." Her hands come up to rest on my stomach.

"Can you believe we're going to have another kid? I'm so happy! I mean I know we still have a long way to go, but I'm just picturing them in your belly right now." I cover my hands with hers and think about it as well. "How are the drugs treating you?"

"Making me a little tired, but otherwise I'm okay."

"You know I keep thinking you've gone through this before, but it's a little different this time."

"I know. I've never had to do it like this. With Sofia it just took some alcohol, a comfy bed and a good-looking guy in Mark. Now I've got to prepare my body, not to mention this time is actually planned."

"Part of me is happy and thankful for Mark and you all created our wonderful daughter, but part of me has always been a little envious of that. I think I'll always be."

"Arizona…" I draw out, a little heartbroken to hear her say that.

"It's nothing bad. It is what it is, but I'm just happy we're doing it together this time. You and me. I mean we did it with Noah, but that was me being pregnant. I'm jealous that someone got to see you pregnant before me and experience all of that. And it's not the Mark of it all; it could've been anyone. It just irks me that it wasn't me, you know?"

"I completely understand." I answer sincerely and I do. I think I would feel the same way if the situation were reversed.

"It's like they got to you first." She doesn't seem upset, but I can tell it's something that's been on her mind.

"Yeah, but you got me last, which is more important to me. There's never going to be anyone after you. Trust me, if all goes as planned you'll see me pregnant and hormonal and experience everything."

"I'm waiting for that." She says giving me another kiss.

"Alright, I think it's time I actually get some work done." Getting off my wife's lap, I pick up my clothes and put them back on. "So what are you up to for the rest of the day?"

"Getting some last minute stuff done for tomorrow." Tomorrow is Sofia's sixth birthday and we're having a party at the house.

"Can't believe she's already six."

"I know and Noah will be four in a couple of weeks."

"This is all moving too fast. Hopefully it slows down with our next one."

"I hope so too. Don't forget we have that thing at Sofia's school later. It's the last day of classes and we have to help her clean out her cubby and mingle with parents...the whole thing."

"Aren't we gonna do that tomorrow at her party?"

"Yeah, but it's a little different at the school. Just promise me you'll be there."

"I promise. I'm leaving here at two to make it on time."

"Good. I'm gonna grab Noah from daycare and he can run some errands with me."

"Sounds good, I'll walk with you." Fifteen minutes later I return to my office to find Meredith seated on my couch.

"Torres, you should really lock your door. Also, I'm digging this new couch." I grimace as I see her seated in practically the same spot Arizona and I were in just a few minutes ago. "Gift from the wife?"

"Yep."

"Yeah, Derek got me a new desk when I was promoted."

"Why don't you sit here?" I ask, offering her one of the chairs from in front of my desk.

"Um, okay…why?" Moving seats, she gives me a questioning look.

"Uh, yeah know it just got in today and it was wrapped in all that plastic from the furniture company. Just wanna get it cleaned, ya know?"

"Ahh, smart idea. I'm sure chief knows someone. There's always new stuff in this place."

"Yeah, exactly." I reply, grateful that Grey isn't asking too many questions.

"Anyway, I stopped by to ask what to bring to Sofia's party tomorrow?"

"We've got everything covered. You don't have to bring a gift, but she's really into dolls and magic right now."

"Magic?"

"Yeah, someone came into class to do a demonstration a while back and she's been hooked ever since."

"I see…well I'll be sure to pick something up."

"I'm sure Sof will love it. Derek's coming too, right?"

"Yeah, he and Mark have been texting. I think they are excited to see each other. Although I doubt either one of them will admit it."

"Sounds like them." I laugh. "I have surgery in thirty, but you're free to hang out in here."

"Thanks. Private offices are nice, but they get kind of lonely."

"It's a good thing that you're here then, huh?"

"Yeah, yeah. Don't get emotional and sappy on me, Torres. I've got a reputation to uphold." Grinning at her comment I turn my attention to some papers on my desk. Hours later I was able to return home early and change before heading to the school with Arizona. Noah stayed at home with the babysitter, Emily. Her family moved into the neighborhood last year and she's a junior in high school. She very nice and great with Noah and Sofia, plus she's looking to make some extra cash, so we don't mind hiring her from time to time.

"Mommy! Mama!" Sofia greets us as we walk into her classroom. Other parents are there too with their kids and I give her teacher a wave as well. "I wanna show you my stuff." Our five year old tells as she pulls us by our hands. Apparently we were walking too slowly for her liking. "You sit here, okay?" Arizona and I follow her instructions and take our seats at a small round table while Sofia scurries off to her cubby to get some stuff. Taking a look around I notice all the other kids and parents in the room. Definitely a wide range of people.

"Is it bad that I don't even know half of the parents in this room?" My wife whispers to me.

"Not just you, babe. I guess we have some serious mingling to do tomorrow at Sofia's party. Yay for us!" I reply sarcastically, making Arizona laugh in the process. Sofia quickly comes back and shoves handfuls and handfuls of all kinds of artwork and class assignments in our hands. We take a good twenty minutes going through everything as Sofia has little comments on each item.

"I want you guys to meet Ms. Nancy." Sofia runs over to her teacher and brings her towards us. "Ms. Nancy, these are my parents. Mommy and mama." She says introducing us. Arizona and I stand and shake her hand.

"Hi, I'm Callie." I say standing up. "I'm pretty sure we've met before."

"I think we have too, and you're Arizona, right?"

"Yep, that's me!" My wife says standing up as well. "Sofia talks very highly of you at home."

"Well that's good to hear. She was great to have in the class this year. I'm definitely going to miss her next year."

"Ms. Nancy you can still be my teacher." Sofia comments matter-of-factly.

"Actually Sofia, you'll have a new teacher next year," She says crouching down to her level, "but you can come visit in my classroom next year whenever you want."

"Okay."

"But hey, you'll have a great teacher and you'll learn so much." Ms. Nancy says trying to cheer her up. "I also heard you're having a big birthday party tomorrow. Maybe you can ask your moms to help you sing Happy Birthday in Spanish. You've gotten very good at that." She says making Sofia smile and standing up again. "We've had a lot of birthdays in the classroom this year, so we've had tons of practice."

"Hopefully she won't be too shy to sing for us tomorrow." Arizona comments.

"I'm sure that won't be a problem. Anyway, I'm glad I got to have her in my class this year. You guys are raising a great kid."

"That's always nice to hear. Thank you."

"Yeah, thanks for everything. What do you say Sof?" Arizona asks looking down at our daughter.

"Thank you Ms. Nancy. Have a good summer!"

"You too, Sofia." She gives us a warm smile and Sofia a hug before leaving to check in with the other parents in the room.

"I see why you like her Sof, she's very nice."

"Yeah, she's awesome." She beams, looking almost identical to Arizona.

"Alright, ready to go home, kiddo? You've got a big day tomorrow." Arizona asks, gathering all of Sofia's belongings.

"Uh huh. I'm ready."

"Excuse me, you're Callie Torres, right?" A brunette woman asks coming up to me.

"Uh yeah, hi. I'm Callie." I say shaking her hand. I look to Arizona for some help, but she shrugs her shoulders.

"I'm Stacy, Emily's mom." She starts, pointing to a brunette child just across the room. "I was wondering if I could talk to you for a second."

"Sure." I reply almost hesitantly. "Uh, I'll meet you guys at the car." I say to Arizona and Sofia.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to ambush you, but if we could talk in the hall for just a second that would be great."

"No problem." Giving her a grin, I follow her outside the classroom. "So how can I help you Stacy?" I genuinely ask as we step outside.

"I know this may seem awkward, but for the last couple of days my daughter Emily has been coming home talking about Sofia's party. I started looking around for the invitation thinking I misplaced it, but my wife thought suggested that maybe Emily wasn't invited."

"Oh, I'm sorry, it's—"

"And the typical protocol is that everyone in the class is invited to another classmates party. From what I heard Emily and Sofia get along great, so maybe it was an accident or maybe something more."

"Well I'm sure that—"

"Then my mind went into overdrive thinking maybe it's because Emily has two moms and some people at this school have conservative views, but Emily informed me that Sofia has two moms and I saw you here with your wife today, and so—"

"Stacy, Stacy, let me stop you." She finally takes a breath and I'm able to actually complete a sentence without getting cut off. "I promise you it has nothing to do with you and your wife or Emily. I'm just happy to know there's another kid with two moms in Sofia's grade." She smiles and throws a quick look to her daughter in the classroom. "I assure you it was a mistake or an oversight. You, your wife, and Emily are all invited to our house tomorrow for Sofia's birthday party."

"Are you sure? The last thing we want is a pity invite. If you or Sofia don't want us there we don't have to come."

"I promise you it's okay. If you have a business card or something I can shoot you an email with all the details."

"Oh great. Thank you so much!" She says handing me a card from her purse and letting out a sigh of relief. "Emily is going to be so excited."

"I'm glad. It should be a fun time."

"I'm sure it will be. I'll let you go. Thank you so much."

"Of course, it's not a problem. I'll see you tomorrow." With that I walk away and head to the car.

"So what was that about?" Arizona asks when I get into the car.

"I don't know, I guess we forgot to invite Emily to Sofia's party." I answer, as Arizona begins driving us home.

"I don't like Emily, mama." Sofia states from her booster seat. "She doesn't share."

"Yeah, I think that was a deliberate oversight, babe. We went over that invite list two times."

"Oh, well I just invited her and her two mothers to the party tomorrow. Did you know there was a lesbian couple in Sof's class?"

"Nope, I guess that's nice though, right?"

"I mean yeah, I just—"

"What's a 'lesbian' mama?"

"Uuhhh, just someone who likes girls."

"I like girls. I really like Katie in dance class. Am I a lesbian?"

"No, not like that like—"

"Like me Sof. I'm a lesbian." Arizona comments. "It's liking a girl more than just a friendly way. If that makes sense."

"Oh." Our daughter says. I'm pretty sure she's confused, but we can have that conversation another time.

"Yeah, so like I was saying, Emily is coming tomorrow."

"Mama, nooooo." Sofia whines.

"Sof, I'm sorry, but it's too late now. It will be fine."

"Mommy, I don't want Emily to come."

"Well it looks like she's coming, sweetie. Mama invited her."

"Is it bad that I had like…gay guilt?" I say to Arizona.

"Calliope, what is 'gay guilt'" Arizona asks intrigued and amused.

"I don't know, she thought we didn't invite Emily cause she has two moms. I mean I didn't know that. Sofia has two moms…and a dad for that matter. I felt guilt that I didn't know about them."

"Babe, you didn't know and I'm pretty sure that 'gay guilt' thing isn't real." She laughs. "It's going to be great. The more the merrier!"

"Mama?"

"Yes, Sof?"

"Are you a lesbian too? Like mommy?"

"Yeah, Calliope? Are you a lesbian too?" Arizona adds jokingly. It's no secret that I'm bisexual, and I haven't thought about or looked at another person in a romantic manner, man or woman, other than my wife. "Cause I'm pretty sure we did some lesbian things earlier today." She mutters so only I can hear.

"Uh, kinda. I mean I love your mom and like her a lot, but I also like men too."

"Like daddy?"

"Yeah, at one point I liked him a lot, but now I just love mommy and only her."

"So you're like half a lesbian?" Arizona snorts and throws me a smirk, completely entertained by this conversation.

"You know what, let's have this conversation another day. Okay?"

"Okay." Sofia contently agrees.

"Can I just say I'm so looking forward to that conversation?"

"Yeah, yeah." I play. "Let's just get through her birthday party first."

 **Thanks for reading!**

 **And thanks to musicforsoul for helping me out!**


	4. Chapter 4

I don't own anything…all credit goes to ABC/Shondaland

 **AN: Thanks for the feedback on the last chapter. I'm really glad people got the humor at the end. Also, I noticed I called Sofia's and Noah's babysitter Emily as well as Sofia's classmate. To diffuse any confusion, I changed the babysitters name to Emma. Emily is still the name of Sofia's classmate. Hope that all makes sense.**

Chapter Four

Arizona's POV

The chatter between adults and kids has been consistent in the house for at least thirty minutes now. Sofia's birthday party is quite the event as children run through the house and outside in the backyard, while the parents drink and mingle on the first floor. Callie and I asked Emma, our babysitter, to come over and help oversee the mass of kids as they get their face painted in the backyard, play games, and watch the magician perform tricks when he shows up in a few. As I'm in the kitchen getting some more food platters ready, I see Mark approaching me.

"How's it going, Mark?"

"Can't complain, Arizona. My kid is happy, the party is great, and I'm catching up with Derek and the rest of the hospital crew in the basement. You?"

"Oh you know, just feeding and hosting thirty plus people in my home. Nothing special." I quip back sarcastically making up both laugh. "The magician should be here any minute and we'll cut the cake afterwards."

"Sounds like a plan, listen we're getting kind of low on alcohol in the basement, do you guys have anymore?"

"I thought Callie got some earlier today? She was out running around this morning getting last minute stuff."

"Oh she did, but we kinda drank our way through that." He says shyly.

"Mark, seriously?"

"Look, half of the hospital is downstairs and we're catching up, telling stories, and having a grand time."

"Um, okay, I'll ask Callie. Have you seen her? I think she got trapped with a group of moms." We both take a quick look around the room and I'm the first to see Callie in the living with surrounded by others moms. It doesn't look like she can get a word in edgewise.

"Should we let her drown a little or call her over?" Mark questions.

"She's drowned enough. I've managed to dodge that crowd." I respond. "Callie?" I call and wave over. She excuses herself politely and comes into the kitchen with Noah attached to her hip.

"I'm pretty sure I've set up three play dates for Sofia in the last ten minutes."

"Poor kid." Mark mumbles. "Little man has been attached to you all day, is he okay?" He asks tickling Noah's stomach making him giggle.

"Yeah, I just think he's overwhelmed. I'm sure once he gets some birthday cake he'll be all good." Callie says kissing Noah's cheek. "So what's up?"

"Alcohol? Do we have anymore?" I ask turning grabbing some more food out of the refrigerator.

"Between the moms in the living room with their wine and the hospital people in the basement with the heavy stuff we should be almost out I think, but—"

"Damn, that sucks." Mark interrupts.

"But..." My wife says throwing Mark a look. "I stashed some extra stuff in the trunk of my car. Feel free to go get it." She says taking her keys out her pocket and tossing them to Mark.

"You're a lifesaver, Cal."

"Yeah, yeah, do me a favor and don't get too drunk. I'm sure Sofia wants you to remember her sixth birthday party."

"Oh I'm good, it's the other folks in the basement that might be wasted. I didn't know how much Karev could drink."

"He can definitely throw them back."

"So be honest, any hot moms over there?" He grins towards Callie, who quickly notices my glare and decides not to answer.

"You know Mark, you'd have to go over there and judge for yourself." My wife coolly replies. "I'm sure they'd all love to meet Sofia's dad."

"You're right. I may have to go over and introduce myself." He says surveying the crowd. "I'll be back."

"So how's it going in her here, babe?" Calliope asks grabbing some pretzels and feeding herself and Noah.

"Pretty good, the kids seem to be enjoying the outside activities and I've checked on Emma a few times and it looks like she's got things under control."

"Mommy! Mama! Look!" Sofia yells barreling into the kitchen. "I've got a butterfly on cheek!" She cheers pointing to the blue and green artwork on the face.

"I see! It looks very pretty, Sof!" I say picking her up.

"When will the magic man be here?"

"Any minute, sweetie." As soon as the words leave my mouth the doorbell rings. "Maybe that's him now!" She dashes off to the door while I take Noah from Callie and she takes some food out to the backyard.

"Can I open the door, mommy?" She pleads with her big brown eyes.

"Sure." I reply coming up behind her. She slowly opens the heavy door and to her disappointment it's not the magician.

"Oh. It's Emily." She frowns.

"Sofia!" I hiss between my teeth. "Apologize please."

"Sorry Emily. I wanted it to be the magic man."

"Oh hey! It's Stacy and Emily!" Callie comments coming to stand next to me. "I'm glad you could make it. Please come in." She urges, ushering everyone inside.

"Thanks again for inviting us. I want you to meet my wife, Trish. Honey, this is Sofia, Callie, and-"

"Arizona." She says waving at me. It takes a second for me to put the pieces together, but then I remember that platinum blonde hair and seductive smile that attracted me to her in the first place.

"Oh, you guys already know each other?" My wife asks. Neither of us says anything, but instead we look around hoping that something or someone else will distract us and luckily something does. The doorbell rings again and I'm hoping it's the magician.

"Doorbell!" Noah yells.

"The magic man! The magic man!" Sofia cheers as she opens the door. "Are you the magic man?" She asks.

"I am! I'm looking for Arizona Robbins."

"Hi, hey, that's me! Um, let me show you to the back." I quickly divert my intention to the magician before me. "Sof, take Emily and gather your friends around outside."

"Wait, I'm confused. How do you guys know each other?" My wife questions, not letting me leave the foyer.

"Yeah, I think I'd like to know too." Stacy agrees.

"I'll tell you later." Trish and I say at the same time, making it even more awkward. I make my way to the backyard with Noah and pass him off to Emma while I help the magician set up and get the kids in order. I stand in the back while kids oohhh and ahhhh over the many tricks he begins to preform.

"Arizona." Trish whispers, joining me outside.

"Trish."

"We never got that fourth date."

"I told you I was moving to Seattle."

"I thought you were just trying to get rid of me."

"Well if I were trying to get rid of you I wouldn't have agreed to a second and third date. Besides, I thought you told me you weren't looking for a relationship."

"Yeah, I was kinda playing hard to get." She shrugs.

"Well it doesn't matter now, it seems that we're both happy."

"It seems so."

"What are you doing in Seattle anyway?"

"My company temporarily relocated me for six months and I decided to stay. I met Stacy in the meantime and the rest is well…you know."

"Yeah…"

"You and Callie?"

"I met her when I first moved here. She was my neighbor and then things just went from there."

"I see. Two kids, a nice house, and that big, fancy ring on your finger." She notes, looking down at my hand where I'm unconsciously fidgeting with my engagement ring. I only wear it on certain occasions and today when I was getting ready I thought I'd put it on. I think Callie likes when I wear it because she carefully picked it out and I kind of told her I didn't want it, but it stills feels odd wearing something so big on my finger.

"Yeah, life is pretty good right now. Can't really complain."

"Callie wants to know when we should do cake." Mark says, alerting me of his presence and earning some shushes from the kids. "Oh hello, I'm Mark. Father of the birthday girl." He smirks, reaching his hand out for Trish to take.

"I'm Trish, mother of a friend of the birthday girl. If you'll excuse me, I'm going to say hello to the other parents inside." She smiles goodbye and Mark watches as she walks away.

"Tell me she's single. She's got a great smile and a fantastic as—"

"Mark, can you not please? Stay out here, I'll go talk to Callie. Also, you're paying the magician."

"What? Why me?"

"Cause I said so." I deadpan.

"Fine, how much?"

"A thousand bucks." In actuality he only costs five hundred dollars, but I want to mess with Mark and I know he'll never say no to anything for Sofia.

"A thousand bucks! He better be able to fly!" Ignoring him, I walk back inside and find Callie getting the cake, candles, and matches ready.

"How much longer do you think he'll be?"

"I think we booked him for an hour. He's only been here ten minutes, maybe in a few we can pause for cake."

"Yeah, that sounds good."

"You good?"

"Sure, I mean half the parents are tipsy and I just checked on the people in the basement and it smells like a bar down there. And I—who's Trish, Arizona?" She says sternly with a slight strain in her voice.

"Stacy's wife."

"I'm not dumb, Arizona. Clearly you guys know each other and not in the 'I saw you at the PTA meeting last week' way."

"Okay, I'll tell you everything, but not right now."

"Well, I'd like to know now. There's some women in my house that knows you in a not-so-platonic-way I'm assuming." I can sense a few eyes on us as Callie's voice grows.

"If you wanna know, I'll tell you, but we're not doing this right here."

"Fine, then let's go upstairs." She states, leading the way. Dodging some looks and a few whispers I follow Callie upstairs and into our bedroom.

"I met Trish right after grad school. We went on three dates, then I moved here and never spoke to her again."

"Three dates, huh?"

"Yeah…what are you getting at?"

"Oh come on, everyone knows what three dates mean." She says rolling her eyes.

"Callie, that three date 'rule' is so superficial."

"Did you guys sleep together?" My wife asks folding her arms across her chest defensively.

"It seriously doesn't matter. Not to mention, when Jordan showed up at Sof's second party I had to deal with it and you guys were practically engaged. I sulked for ten minutes and then got over it, which is saying a lot since you guys work together and she even tried to get you back. For all I know she could be hitting on you everyday at the hospital."

"Oh Arizona, come on. You know that's not happening. We don't even work together that much."

"All I'm saying is that this is absolutely nothing. She's happily married and not even thinking about me. It was just a shock to see her. I don't know, maybe we were cursed at some point and our exes will pop up at every birthday party Sofia has." Finally cracking a smile, Callie begins to laugh.

"I don't even have that many exes, but I agree with you on that curse theory."

"I'm starting to believe it myself, babe." I joke. "Now, we have lots of kids and parents, plus a huge birthday cake to go present to our little girl. So can we go back downstairs?"

"Yeah, I'm just going to use the bathroom real quick. I'll meet you downstairs." Walking back downstairs, I run into Teddy and Henry.

"Arizona, finally! I was looking for you." She greets, giving me a hug. "Where's Sofia? Henrry and I kinda went overboard at the toy store and we have a bunch of gifts for her."

"Aw, that's nice of you. I doubt she needs any more toys, but I'm sure she'll be grateful. Henry, you can take those to the basement if you want."

"Sure, is that where the rest of the guys are?" He asks knowingly.

"Yep, have fun!" He nods in understanding and walks away. "Um, the kids are outside watching a rabbit pop out of a hat and we're about to light a birthday cake. Thanks for coming."

"Of course! I wouldn't miss this. You and Callie throw some great birthday parties." She compliments, looking around at all the people and decorations.

"Come back in a few weeks, we'll have another one for Noah."

"Sorry, I don't mean to interrupt, but is the birthday cake gluten free?" One mother asks. "Also, was it made in a peanut factory, because my daughter is allergic?" Another one inquires.

"The cake isn't gluten free and I'm not entirely sure about the peanuts, but we do have gluten free cupcakes as a substitute."

"That'll work, thank you. Also, is there any more white wine? Some of our glasses are getting a little low."

"Yeah, in the kitchen."

"Thanks, I'll go get it." Both mothers dash off seemingly satisfied with my answers.

"Oh gosh. I'm totally not ready for knit picky parents."

"I know, right? Sofia wanted a regular vanilla with pink frosting. She could care less if it had gluten or not as long as it is sugary and sweet she'll be okay.….wait, you said you're not ready."

"What?"

Closing the small gap between us, I stare Teddy down, "Teds, are you pregnant?"

"Me? Pregnant?" She scoffs, but not giving me a straight answer.

"You're so pregnant! Oh my gosh!" I squeal with excitement.

"Shh, keep it down. Alright, yes. I'm pregnant. But I haven't even told Henry yet."

"Congratulations!" I engulf her in huge hug. "Wait, why haven't you told him yet?"

"Cause I just took the test a few days ago, and I'm trying to think of a creative way to tell him."

"Oh my gosh, I'm so happy!"

"Yeah, yeah, enough about me. We'll have time to celebrate later. I think it's cake time now."

"Right! Cake, almost forgot." The party lasts for another hour or so before people starting heading out. It was the last time Sofia would see most of her classmates until the Fall, so she had to give each and every guest a hug goodbye. Instead of cleaning up, we decided to leave it until tomorrow and we all went to bed early from a long day. The next morning we had Sunday brunch with Mark to celebrate Sofia's actual birthday. We had the party on Saturday because it was probably easier for everyone. After that, Mark went back to California and we came home to finish cleaning up from the day before.

"How's the basement clean up coming along?" Walking down the basement stairs, I see Callie walking around with a big trash bag and throwing stuff inside it.

"Pretty good. Lots of empty bottles. Sof and Noah?"

"I set them up with a movie in the living room." Sitting down in one of the big, leather chairs I watch as she picks up cups and bottles from different spots all over.

"I'm sure they love that."

"Oh yeah, I threw in some popcorn and big comfy pillows. I don't think they'll be moving for at least an hour."

"Good…you know what I realized."

"Hmm?"

"Well I'm on these fertility drugs and next week is our first insemination, but we don't have a donor."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, we haven't selected anyone to use."

"Oh, well I guess I just figured we'd use Noah's donor. We still have some of his sperm left over and we already did a background check on him."

"Well we could, but what about you and using someone from a similar background to yours."

"Oh I mean I don't really mind. Our baby doesn't have to look like me, and I know it's more than just looks, but still. I'll love our kid regardless, not to mention you've got some beautiful and powerful genes, so I'm not sure how much the baby would look like me. I think we got pretty lucky that Noah got my blue eyes."

"True, but we could always look at our options."

"If you really want to we can, but I'm telling you it's okay. I honestly haven't thought about it that much because I just assumed we'd use Noah's donor. We spent a lot of time going over people and I'm very satisfied with who we settled on."

"Are you sure?" She asks, setting down her trash bag and coming to sit next to me.

"Calliope, I'm one hundred percent positive. All that matter is that was have a healthy, happy baby that we get to call our own and bring into our family."

"Okay then. Well our appointment is next week."

"Just tell me the time and place and I'll be there." I say giving her a kiss on the lips.

"Good, now I'm tired of cleaning. How about we go crash the movie viewing party upstairs." Callie says, pulling me up.

"Sounds good, I'm right behind you!"

 **Thanks for reading!** **Thank you also to musicforsoul for helping me!**


	5. Chapter 5

I don't own anything…all credit goes to ABC/Shondaland

 **AN: Hello wonderful people/readers! Thanks for coming back. This chapter is mostly a filler chapter for stuff coming up, but I hope you enjoy nonetheless.**

 **As usual, thanks to musicforsoul for helping me out! Enjoy!**

Chapter Five

Callie's POV

"Turn it off." My wife sleepily groans at the sound of my blaring alarm clock. I quickly shut off the loud noise and begin moving around in the bed, but the grip of my wife holds me in place. "Five more minutes."

"Babe, you don't have to get up. You're on summer break."

"But I want five more minutes with you." She mumbles. At some point throughout the night she rolled over to my side of the bed and threw a protective across my stomach and slipped her thigh between my legs.

"Alright, five more minutes." I concede, and give her a kiss atop her blonde hair. She snuggles deeper into the side of my body while I rub my hand over her back soothingly. As Arizona continues to rest, with my free hand I grab my phone off the nightstand and check for any important emails or notifications. By the time I'm done with that, I notice it's been close to fifteen extra minutes and I seriously need to get up. "Arizona…"

"Okay, okay. I'm up." She says loosening her grip on me and giving me a smile. "Good morning." Even with messy hair and not a drop of make-up she's still the most beautiful person in the world to me.

"Morning." I give her a kiss good morning and reluctantly get out the bed. "I'm gonna hop in the shower, but you stay here. Rest up some more before our two wonderful children comes barreling in here." After taking a quick shower, I move back into the bedroom to get dressed. "So what's on the agenda today?"

"Whatever the kids want to do. Sof's dance camp doesn't start for a few more days and I think Noah's just content with playing with toys all day."

"You know, I was thinking we should get Noah a hobby. Sofia has dance, maybe we should get Noah into something. Obviously nothing too heavy cause he's only three, but maybe some swim lessons or something."

"That's not a bad idea. I'll look into something. You ready for your last shot of this cycle?"

"Oh yeah, I almost forgot. Ready

"Of course!" She says giddily. Once inside the bathroom together, I get the syringe ready for Arizona to stick me with and lower my pants just enough so she can inject me. "I don't know how you doctors work with needles and medicine all the time. It seems very easy for something to go wrong."

"Ehh, you kinda get used to it after all the years of being in school, the residency and fellowship."

"Yeah, I guess. I still don't like sticking you with this thing though. I feel like I'm hurting you."

"You're not. I promise. A few sticks in the ass makes it all worth it for a baby in the end."

"Not gonna argue with you there. Okay, on the count of three. One…two…three."

"Ow! Arizona!" I shriek once she injects me.

"Oh my god, Calliope are you okay!?" She asks completely horrified.

"I'm kidding, I'm kidding." I laugh jokingly as her face turns from alarmed to annoyed.

"Calliope, that wasn't funny!" She states, swatting me on the arm. "I thought I messed up or hurt you."

"I'm sorry, babe, but you make it so easy sometimes."

"Stop laughing at me." She pouts.

"Hey, hey, I'm sorry. I won't do it again. Promise."

"You better not." Arizona mumbles while swatting me once again before folding her arms across her chest, still irritated with my joke.

"I really am sorry, Arizona. I didn't mean to upset you."

"I don't mind a joke, Calliope, you know me, but this is different."

"I know and I'm sorry. It was a bad judgment call on my end." Leaning back against the countertop, I unfold her arms and pull her close to me. "I love you."

"Yeah…"

"Well that didn't sound too enthusiastic." Rolling her eyes playfully, she flashes a small smile. I cup her left cheek and bring her face close to mine. "I said I love you." I whisper against her lips before connecting hers with mine. My other hand find her right hip and bring our bodies flush against each other. Just as she's about to pull away, I kiss her again with more passion as I trace her bottom lip with my tongue begging for entrance. She readily takes my hint and opens her mouth. Soft moans escape as we tongue dance for a few seconds before finally breaking for air.

"I love you too." She declares once we pull apart.

"Good." I peck her lips one last time before returning to the bedroom to finish getting ready. "Our appointment is tomorrow."

"I'll be there." Our bedroom door slowly opens and in shuffles Sofia with a blanket and stuffed animal stuffed under her arm.

"Mornin' mama."

"Good morning, Sof!" I say hoisting her up and kissing her cheeks. "How's my favorite girl this morning?"

"Happy!"

"And why are you so happy this morning?" Arizona asks.

"Cause I don't got school today!"

"It's you 'don't have school'," I correct. "And you're right! You're on summer break with mommy and Noah."

"You too, mama?"

"Unfortunately no, baby girl. I still have to go into work, but I'll be home as soon as possible."

"Mhmky. Guess what?! I had a cool dream last night."

"You did?!"

"Uh-huh, you wanna hear it?"

"Of course I do!"

"Callie, babe." Arizona motions towards the bedside clock and I notice I'm running late for work. "You gotta get going."

"You know what? You tell mommy all about it and you can tell me later tonight, okay?"

"Okay." Her big brown eyes falter with slight disappointment and I feel extremely guilty for being the cause of it.

"I want to hear all about your cool dream, Sof." Arizona chips in, taking our daughter from my arms.

"I'm gonna wake up Noah and make some coffee downstairs, real quick." My wife gives me a nod in understanding as Sofia begins talking her ear off. Exiting the room, I walk down the hall to Noah's room. Once I reach his door I hear him making truck noises.

"What's going on in here, bud?"

"Mama!" He shouts with excitement. Quickly forgetting his toys, her runs towards me with his arms wide open, a clear sign that he wants to be lifted up. "Mornin' mama!" He greets me once I pick him up and he becomes eye level with me.

"Morning Noah. Wanna help me make some coffee?" He eagerly nods his head up and down and we make our way down to the kitchen.

"Did you have a good night?"

"Mhmm."

"Good. Today, you're going hang out with mommy and Sof."

"Daycare?"

"Nope! You get to stay home with all your toys and I bet mommy will make you and Sof a special lunch if you ask real nice."

"Okay." He leans his little head on my shoulder as I move around the kitchen getting my bag and coffee mug in order.

"Arizona!" I call out.

"We're here!" She answers coming into the kitchen with Sofia. "Sof here had a great suggestion of French toast this morning."

"That sounds good. Noah loves French toast." I say kissing his head before passing him off to Arizona. "Alright, I gotta get going. Mama loves you all!" After a quick round of hugs and kisses goodbye I'm finally out the door and headed to the hospital. Quickly making my way through the halls of Seattle Grace, I notice an intern standing outside of my office.

"Uhh, Edwards, what are you doing?" I ask unlocking my office door and walking inside.

"Doctor Torres, good morning! I'm on your service today." She greets a little to chipper for my liking.

"Um, why? I thought Neuro was your thing?"

"I love all fields." She diplomatically answers. I give her a questionable glare, making her revise her answer. "Okay, truth is we have to switch it up. Webber doesn't want us getting stuck on one specialty."

"Ahh, that make sense. Well I have a couple of surgeries today, including a shattered knee repair."

"Sweet!"

"Is it sweet? Someone's knee is shattered." I deadpan.

"Oh sorry, I didn't mean it like that, I just meant—"

"I'm joking with you, Edwards. It is pretty sweet. Gosh, my jokes really aren't going over well this morning. Anyway, I guess you can start on morning rounds."

"Already did! Mr. Jefferson in room 302 is responding well to his medication." She states, reading off her tablet. "Ms. Temple is still in a little pain, but I upped her meds, so that should hopefully clear up soon. The patient in room 504 is ready for you to go back in. He's scheduled for later today. Lastly, Mr. Roberson's is also ready for his surgery. I told him you'd stop by later this afternoon to answer some of his questions."

"Hmm, not too bad, Edwards. You're pretty efficient. I see why Shepherd is hogging you for Neuro."

"Just doing my job, Dr. Torres."

"That you are, Edwards, that you are. Well first up let's handle that knee replacement. It may take a few hours. Scrub in and I'll meet you in the OR in ten." With an affirmative nod, she exits the room. After changing into my scrubs, I head down to the OR to begin my first of many surgeries for the day.

"You definitely live up to the hype, Doctor Torres." Edwards applauds as we exit the scrub rub. "That was one of the best surgeries I've ever seen. I mean that guys knee was completely ruined and now it's fixed. I mean some difficult months of physical therapy are ahead, but still. Amazing." She says completely enthralled.

"It's what I do." I shrug off. "But it was pretty badass." I brag.

"Totally badass."

"Well there's more of where that came from. Grab a snack, we've got another surgery in twenty."

"Of course." Edwards makes an exit for the cafeteria while I head to my office.

"Callie!" I turn around at my name being called to see Jordan headed to me with some scans. "Can I get your opinion on something real quick?"

"Sure thing." With a nod, she leads me to the closest exam room and puts the scans up. "This kid came in and his spine is severely fractured and he's got a few broken ribs."

"Yeah, I can tell." I say, stepping forward and getting a good look at the scans. "What's your plan of approach?"

"Well I wanted to get your opinion first. What do you think?"

"Hmm, I mean a kyphoplasty should help the vertebral body collapse. He's a small kid, so it might be a little tricky, but not impossible. When's the surgery?"

"Tomorrow."

"I don't think I'm that busy, if I'm free I'd be happy to scrub in and assist."

"That'd be great." Jordan says, taking down the scans.

"Oh I forgot." I mention, turning around and getting her attention before she leaves the room. "I, ah, I heard about your engagement. Congratulations."

"Thanks, Callie. It means a lot." I give her a smile and she leaves the room. Over the last couple of years Jordan and I have been very cordial. We only see each other around the hospital, but Seattle Grace is part work place and part social club so I've of course heard the rumblings of her dating life. I'm happy that she's moved on and found someone. And I'm even happier that said person doesn't work in the hospital. That would be too much drama. I think Arizona still has some animosity towards her, but I can't fault her for that. Jordan wasn't exactly warm and fuzzy when she showed up in my life again. I leave the examination room and stop by my office to grab something out my mini fridge, checking my phone in the process I see a text from Arizona that shows a picture of Sofia and Noah holding their sticky fingers up. Clearly they had a good time eating French toast this morning. I shoot her a quick reply before heading back to the OR.

"Mhmmm, something smells good in here." I announce stepping into my house after a long day.

"Mamas home!" Sofia yells while running towards me at the front door. "I helped mommy make dinner!"

"You did, huh?" I ask lifting her up and kissing her hair. "What did you make?"

"I put the cheese in the noodles for the mac and cheese."

"I can't wait to taste it." Stepping further into my home I see Arizona cooking on the stove and Noah is driving his little toy car around the kitchen island. "

Hey babe." My wife greets me with a kiss. "How was your day?"

"Good. Yours?"

"Very eventful." She says raising an eyebrow.

"Did you save a life today, mama?" Sof questions.

"I'd like to think so." I reply putting her down. "Noah, can I get a hug hello?" I ask my son who's overly engrossed with driving his car around. Bending down to lift him out his seat, I notice he's in his swim trunks. "Did you go swimming today?"

"Uh-huh!" I look to my wife for some sore of explanation.

"So I took your swimming idea and kinda ran with it. I signed him up for swim lessons, which you're taking him to by the way." She adds with a smile, "The parents get in the pool with the kids, it looks kinda fun, anyway, getting back on track, we went to the store and got a little kiddy pool for the backyard." I look out the back windows and sure enough there's a little green pool sitting on the grass.

"I got swim toys too! Like the ones Aunt Addie has." Sof exclaims proudly. "We got a pool, mama!"

"I see."

"What do you think?" Arizona asks.

"I think we have a kiddy pool in our backyard, babe." I answer, still a little surprised at the sight. Maybe growing up in Miami and having a pool at my house got spoiled, but something about a fake pool is odd to me. I know not everyone grows up with pools in their yards so they have to make due others ways, but it still seems out of place. "All that matters is that Sof and Noah like it, right?"

"What's wrong with it?" Arizona probes.

"You don't like it, mama?" Sof asks with her soulful brown eyes.

"No, no. I love it, Sof. Did you pick it out?" I ask trying to cheer her up.

"Yeah! And Noah helped."

"That's great. I love it!" Arizona gives me a knowingly look, but we decided not to speak on it right now. "I'm gonna head up and change and I'll bring Noah a shirt on my way back down."

"Thanks, dinner will be ready soon."

The rest of the evening consisted of stories about everyone's day at the dinner table followed by bath and story time. There wasn't much protest from the kids to stay up any later, and luckily they went down easily. By the time I retire to the bedroom, Arizona is already in bed watching television and I go about changing into my pajamas.

"So I got a phone call today from Sof's school." My wife informs me.

"Oh yeah? What did they say?"

"Well it was regarding Noah starting preschool. Apparently we have to go in for a mandatory meeting with an admissions person."

"Why? I thought we already got him in for the Fall."

"We did, but I guess its just protocol. I set it up for Friday. Can you take off?"

"I should be able to."

"Good, okay. I figured I'd ask Emma to watch the kids for a few hours."

"Yeah that works." I let out a sigh of relief I'm finally able to get into bed and relax after a long day. "God, it feels good to lay down. Back-to-back surgeries can be fun, but standing up for so long not so much."

"You should've taken a bath, those always seem to help."

"Yeah, maybe this weekend."

"So, tell me what's really going on in your mind about the pool." Turning the volume down on the television, she turns on her side to give me her full attention. "You didn't seem to pleased."

"I'm sorry, love. I didn't mean to knock it, or upset the kids, but kiddy pools just seem so tacky and weird to me. I don't know, maybe it's the Miami in me."

"Nah, I think it's the spoiled-rich-girl in you that grew up with multiple houses and pools. Not to mention you own a boat." She teases. "Not all of us grow up in fancy homes with pools, theaters, and tennis courts."

"I can't keep defending how I grew up, babe." I reply casually "Maybe we should build a pool."

"Calliope, that's a little extreme and totally besides the point." She quickly refutes.

"Not really, I mean we have the space. It would take a few months, but the kids would love it and it would be great for hosting things in the Spring and Summer." I explain, mulling over the idea.

"We live in Seattle, it rains most of the year and summer lasts a few weeks. It's not really practical. Not to mention it would cost a lot of money."

"It's not like we don't have it. Plus, what if Noah really likes swimming. Then he could practice all day."

"First off, he's three and hasn't even taken one swim class, and he could decide he hates it for all we know. Second that would mean we'd have to build a dance studio in the house for Sof and were not doing that."

"Valid point." I concede, mirroring her position and propping my head up on my hand. "Okay, so scratch that idea."

"Thank you." She grins before leaning forward and giving me a kiss. "Just think, two or three weeks after tomorrow and you could be pregnant!"

"Huh, I guess you're right. Assuming it works on the first try."

"I know the statistics, but I'm choosing to ignore those and think positively. You never know."

"You're right. I guess I'm just more neutral. If I don't have any expectations, the let down will be easier."

"I've got plenty of positive vibes to go around for the both of us." She beams.

"Hey, I meant to ask you. Are you still going to therapy?"

"Yeah, I think I'm gonna go every other week instead of every week now. Why?"

"No reason in particular, just wanted to make sure you're okay and that everything is good."

"I appreciate it and I'm perfectly fine. Trust me, you'd be the first to know if I wasn't, but thanks for checking."

"Of course, just doing my wifely duties." Kissing her again, I slowly push her back on her back before situating myself over her. "I think I have some other wifely duties I can take care of right."

"Mhmm, yeah I can totally think of some." She smugly replies.


	6. Chapter 6

I don't own anything all credit goes to Shondaland/ABC.

 **Hope you enjoy!**

Chapter Six

Arizona's POV

"I don't know what to do. Give me some suggestions."

"I don't know, Teds. That's up to you."

"Well how did you tell Callie?"

"That was a good day," I start; reminiscing on the day I told my wife I was pregnant with Noah. It was the night we officially got married. "I kinda just blurted it out. I was in shock and total utter surprise. I was also kind of nervous." I tell Teddy through the car speakers. I'm on my way to the hospital now for Callie's appointment. Teddy on the other hand still hasn't told Henry she's pregnant.

"Blurting it out seems okay, but I want mine to be more special. It's our first kid. I don't even think it crossed Henry's mind that I could be pregnant."

"How about you buy him a baby baseball oneise. Customize it and have him open it."

"I thought about that, but some of the other baseball wives have done that. I think it's a little cliché."

"Who cares what the other wives have done. It's your own kid. Do whatever you want."

"You're right, but I still think I want to do something different. Maybe not even baseball themed. He gets enough of that in his life already."

"Okay…what if you bring it up casually in conversation. Just drop a few hints in everyday sentences."

"Possible, although Henry isn't exactly the brightest bulb. Some of the words might just go over his head."

"I'm out of suggestions, Teddy. Google something."

"Come on, think! I know you have some more in you. Let's say you were pregnant right now. How would you tell Callie?"

"Truthfully, I'd probably just sit her down and tell her. I'd also have the pregnancy stick nearby just in case she think's I'm joking with her. Considering our pregnancies are more planned out cause of the whole no-penis-two-vaginas thing, it wouldn't be as shocking."

"Valid point." She states.

"Exactly, anyway I'm turning into the hospital now. I've got to go. Let me know how it goes!"

"Yeah, yeah." She mumbles.

"Aw, cheer up, Teds! You'll think of something. You could always just wait until your showing and really surprise him."

"Considering how little we see each other now cause of baseball season, that could very well be an option."

"Whatever you decide, congratulations again! I'm so, so excited for you."

"Thanks, Arizona." She says sincerely. "It means a lot." The call ends just as I pull into a parking spot. Making my way into the hospital I smile and say hello to a few of the familiar faces before arriving on my wife's orthopedic floor.

"Hey Anna, is Callie in her office?" I ask, greeting one of Callie's favorite and most dependable nurses at the floor station.

"Hi Arizona! Nice to see you again. Yeah, she's in there. I would just knock first, I think she's in a meeting."

"Great, thanks." Turning around, I head towards my wife's office and taking Anna's advice I knock on the closed door.

"Come in!" She calls from the other side. I walk in and she greets me with a big smile. "Hey, Arizona. I'm just finishing up here. You can sit down." She offers. "Jordan and I are just going over some surgery notes." She states, as Jordan turns around in her seat in front of Callie's desk and gives me a small grin.

"Of course. Take your time. It's good to see you again, Jordan."

"You too, Arizona." I don't think either of us really means it considering our past encounters, but we're adults and she works with Calliope so I put my best foot forward. "I think we're about done here, Callie. I'll see you in the OR later?"

"Yeah, I'll be down." With that, she gathers her stuff and leaves the office. Closing the door behind her.

"Big surgery?"

"Kinda. She just wanted my opinion. I'm scrubbing in with her later."

"I thought you'd take the rest of the day off? You're not really supposed to work after the doctor shoots you up with the good stuff. I thought we could grab a late lunch."

"Aw, I'm sorry babe. I've got some more stuff to do here. Plus, I'm not supposed to do any strenuous activity. I think I'll be okay standing in the OR. Rain check on the lunch?"

"Fine. I'll just add it to the list of other dinners, dates, and family stuff you've missed cause of surgery." I shrug.

"Arizona." She warns lightly. I know she feels guilty about missing things, but it's not her fault. Well not entirely, personally I think she could delegate more, but that's just me.

"Sorry, sorry." Putting my hands up in mock defensive, she gives me a sympathetic look. "How about we go get your pregnant?"

"Oh how romantic." She teases. "Let's go." Getting up off the couch we head up to another floor in this massive hospital before a nurse leads us into a patient room. Callie begins changing into a hospital grown.

"It's almost close to five years ago that I was in this position."

"I know. The time really flew by."

"Tell me about it." Callie hops up on the patient table and I take a seat on the rolling stool. "Speaking of our adorable son, what are we doing for his birthday?"

"I'm not sure. I think he liked the face painters Sof had at her party. He's much more laid back than Sof. She knew exactly what she wanted."

"Gosh, just imagine when she's sixteen. She's probably going to want the most elaborate sweet sixteen ever."

"Screw that, I'll just get her a car." Callie snaps back.

"Calliope!" I gasp, hitting her on the leg. "She's going to want a party and we're not getting her a car at sixteen. Maybe graduation."

"Huh, we'll see." She remarks. Before I can respond a knock on the door alerts us of Dr. Caplan's presence.

"Callie, Arizona. Pleasure to see you again." He greets coming into the room, putting down his file, washing his hands and snapping on some latex gloves. "How's everything going?"

"Going good, doc." Callie replies. "Ready to knock me up?"

"I'll try my best." He jokes. "I read over your file and everything looks good. I noticed Dr. Emerson has taken you off your medication. How have you been feeling?"

"Good. Nothing really out the ordinary."

"Is she telling the truth, Arizona?" He double checks.

"Yeah, I've been keeping a close eye on her." I answer, throwing my wife a wink. It's true, ever since she's been off her meds I've been watching her eating habits and listening to everything she says about how she's feeling. I fully trust Calliope, but I know she may hold some things back if she doesn't think it's serious enough to disclose.

"Good. I'm glad to hear. I'm just going to do a basic exam. Check your blood pressure, heart rate, all the stuff and then I'll get started with the insemination."

"Sounds good."

"Now I know you probably know all of this, but I have to say it." He begins, "Given that you're over thirty five you are potentially entering a high risk pregnancy. All that means is that you and your baby are prone to more things. Potential birth defects…your health….other risks or complications. You're in good health and of course we will monitor you, but I just want you to know."

"She had preeclampsia with our daughter, is that still a factor?" I inquire.

"It's noted, and that's usually more common in first time pregnancies, but like I said we will watch everything." He continues to tell us more information, and I'd be lying if I said I wasn't a little concerned. I know Callie is fine, but hearing all the things that could go wrong doesn't help. After he finishes his preliminary tests, we get ready for the insemination.

"Let me know if you feel any pain or discomfort. It shouldn't hurt that much." He says getting the syringe ready. "Everybody ready?" Callie turns her head to give and gives me a kiss. Standing up, I take one of her hands in mine and lay a kiss atop her brunette hair.

"We're ready." I answer. With Callie's feet up in the stirrups, I watch as Dr. Caplan meticulously and slowly inject my wife with what could hopefully help us in getting my wife pregnant. Like he said, it doesn't take too long and within minutes the small procedure is done.

"Alright ladies. Everything looks good. Callie, keep your feet up for a couple of minutes and then you're all set. No strenuous activity for a coupe of days. Let me know if you have any questions and concerns. In about ten to fourteen days you can take a pregnancy test. Depending on the results we'll go from there."

"Thank you, Doctor." I shake his hand before he exits the room. "Sooooo, how are you feeling?"

"Different."

"Different good? Different bad?" I ask trying to gauge her feelings.

"Just different. I'm not in pain or anything. It's just kind of weird knowing that I could be pregnant very soon. Sof was a surprise, so this is all so different to me."

"You're sure you want this, right?"

"It's a little late to ask that now, babe. Don't you think?" She jokes.

"I know, but you seem more calm than I expected. This is potentially a life changing moment."

"I'm sorry, Arizona. I know you probably want more out of me right now, but I just have a bunch of things going on in my mind right now."

"I get it." I half lie. I know she's super busy and when she's in the hospital she's all about work, but I just wish she showed more enthusiasm. When it was me with my feet in the stirrups, she was ecstatic almost all the time. "Any request for dinner? I'm going to hit the store on my way home." She gives me that all too familiar look and I know she won't make it home in time for dinner tonight.

"You know I could always bring you some food here. I'm sure Sof and Noah wouldn't mine coming to the hospital for dinner."

"Another time, Arizona. I don't think I'll get a break tonight."

"Okay, well I'll save you something anyway."

"You don't have to do that, but thanks." The rest of our time together we spend mulling over ideas for Noah's birthday. As Callie heads back to work, I hop in the car and immediately get a call from my other.

"Hey mom." I answer.

"Arizona, darling! How are you?" She asks with a voice full of delight and happiness.

"I'm good. You?"

"Excellent! The girls and I just finished another book in our book club."

"Yeah? Was it good?"

"It was great! We get our selections off of Oprah's book club list. You know I just love me some Oprah. I get her magazine every month."

"I know, last time I was at the house you had about a years worth of magazines on the living room table."

"I just can't get myself to throw them out. Anyway, how are my grandkids doing?"

"They're great. Sof has dance camp coming up and we got Noah in some swimming lessons."

"Oh that's wonderful! I was calling because I was going over my calendar for the month and I realized my grandson is turning four this month."

"I know, Callie and I were talking about it today. We're not sure what we're doing yet."

"Well if you plan something, let us know. Maybe your father and I can come up. I'm sorry w missed Sof's party."

"It's alright. She got your gifts. How's Tim?"

"You know I hardly see your brother anymore. He got that new apartment downtown and now I see him once every two weeks. I miss having him here with us."

"I know, but it's time for him to get his own place."

"Your father said the same thing."

"Uh-huh…" I mumble as I weave my way through the streets of Seattle. "Are you alright, sweetheart? You seem a little disconnected."

"Sorry, I'm driving and had an interesting day so far."

"What happened?"

"It was just anti-climatic, that's all."

"Arizona, is that some sort of sexual reference. Cause if so, I don't—"

"Mom, no! Gosh no. Trust me, it definitely wasn't that. I'm about to arrive at the grocery store, so I'll call you back later. I need to get this shopping done so I can get home and relieve the sitter."

"Of course. I don't want to mess up your schedule. Look, I don't know what's going on, if anything, but maybe once the kids are down for the night take a bath or read a magazine. Do something for yourself. It's easy to get stressed."

"Thanks mom, I will. Love you."

"Love you too. Give my love to the kids and Callie."

"Will do. Same to dad." The call drops and let out a sigh of relief. I don't dwell on it too much as I've got other things to do. The rest of the afternoon and evening was pretty low-key. As low-key it can possibly be with two toddlers in the house. While Sof went down easy, I had to read three stories to Noah before he was finally out for the night. Taking some of my mother's advice, I decide to put our Jacuzzi jets and bubbles to good use and draw me a relaxing bath. I submerge everything except for my head below the water surface and lean my head back against the tub and close my eyes. After about twenty minutes I feel presence watching me and sure enough when I open my eyes Callie is leaning against the doorframe.

"Hi." She says pushing herself all the wall and coming to sit next to me on the floor. "You looked like you were really relaxing so I didn't want to bother you."

"That was kind of you. I thought you'd be home later."

"Surgery went better than I expected."

"Good, I'm glad. What ya got in your hand?"

"Oh these?" She says lifting up a bouquet of flowers in her hand. "I got these for my wonderful wife."

"Really? She must be one lucky girl." I flirtatiously tease.

"She is. I'm extremely lucky to have her in my life. I don't know what I'd do without her."

"I'm sure you'd figure something out."

"Well I don't wanna know what life is like without her. Ever." She answers completely honest. "These are for you, babe."

"They're beautiful, Calliope. Thank you." Resting them on the countertop, she gets on her knees and leans forward to give me a kiss.

"You know, when I was an intern and just starting out I was so eager to get in the OR. My mind would be so laser focused and I wouldn't think about anything else. Then when I had Sof, a part of me always had her in the back of my mind. Even while I performing a surgery, I would think about Sof. I would think about what she was doing and if she was okay. Then once I met you and we started dating I would think about you and how your day was going. Sometimes I would wonder what you were wearing for the day, and every now and then some naughty thoughts crept into my mind as we got closer." She grins as I blush, I don't know where this is going, but I'm very much enjoying listening. "After we got married and had Noah, I would start thinking about him, and just anything dealing with you guys."

"They say the mind of a surgeon is very busy."

"It is, but even when I'm deep in a surgery, there's always a part of me thinking about you all. So today, I was standing in the OR fixing this kids spine, but I couldn't help but think about what we did today. We took a huge, next step in expanding our family and regardless of the outcome of this cycle, it's still a big deal. I don't think I conveyed that to you earlier in the doctor's office."

"Callie, it's really—"

"I was there physically, but not entirely mentally. I want you to know that I absolutely, one hundred percent want to have another baby with you. I couldn't stop smiling on the drive home thinking about a little seed possibly growing inside me. I checked out earlier and I'm sorry about that. I know I've said this before, but I really mean it when say all that really matter is you and the kids. I would give up being a surgeon in a heartbeat for you guys."

"Baby, you don't have to do that. Being a surgeon makes you happy, but I appreciate the sentiment. I was a little down earlier because you did seem a little checked out. I just don't want us to miss out on anything. Hopefully you do get pregnant and maybe it's our last kid. When we look back on these times later, I want all good thoughts and happy memories. I know it was just one doctor's appointment and I'm sure we'll have more, but I just want us to be present together."

"I get it. I really do and I'm sorry."

"You don't have to apologize, but you do have to get out of those clothes and join in this bath." I say splashing her with some water.

"Well if I must." She grins and stands up to get out of her clothes.

"Looking mighty fine there, Dr. Torres." Watching Calliope strip out of her outfits never gets old.

"Trust me, it's all for you, babe." Slowing sinking into to watch opposite of me, she lets out a huge breath once she settles in and relaxes her muscles. "I love this huge tub, but you're so far away."

"I guess we should change that, huh?" She pulls my body towards her and I wrap my legs around her waists. "Better?"

"Much better."

"Can I ask you a question, Calliope?"

"You can ask me anything." She replies while running her hands over my thighs.

"Are you nervous? Dr. Caplan said so many things today to look out for."

"No, not really. At least not now. It didn't help that he basically called me old though."

"You're not old, Calliope. You're like the youngest thirty six year old I know."

"Thanks, babe. I think?" She laughs.

"You look like your twenty six."

"Looks may be one thing, but internally I'm old, at least by doctors standards."

"Externally and internally you're perfect."

"You know, the doctor said no strenuous activity for me, but that doesn't mean I can't pleasure you all night long." She says nipping at my neck.

"As much as that sounds wonderful, we should wait until we can both enjoy being together."

"Mhmm, that's very kind of you, but watching you come undone at the hands…and tongue of me is enough for me." I feel one of her hands grip my left thigh and the other move closer to my center.

"Callie…"

"Hmmm?" She mumbles against my wet skin. "What is it, Ari?" Hearing her us my bedroom nickname really turns me on, but it seems our son has another idea as he begins to cry from his bedroom.

"I'll get him." Callie says reluctantly getting out. "You stay here and finish relaxing."

"He had trouble going to bed tonight. Maybe bring him to our room tonight."

"Okay." She wraps a robe around her body and exits the bathroom. I take a few minutes to compose myself after she got me temporarily worked up in the best way possible. After I finish my bath, change into pajamas and run downstairs to put Callie's flowers in some water, I return to my bedroom to find Noah passed out in the middle of the bed curled up next to my wife.

"How is he?" I ask sliding under the duvet.

"He's alright. Just woke up and was a little frazzled. When I told him he could sleep with us he calmed down a bit."

"I think he likes our bed."

"He's not the only one." She says letting out a yawn. "I'm so tired."

"Get some rest, babe. You've had a busy day."

"You too." She mumbles. Five minutes later when I look over at her, she and Noah are both in deep slumbers. It was just a few short hours later when I heard Callie's dreaded beeper go off. She quickly and quietly moves around the room before coming to my side of the bed like she always does when she has leave in the middle of the night.

"I gotta go. I'll call you when I get a chance." She whispers.

"Okay. Love you."

"Love you too. Have a good day." She gives me a kiss on the cheek and swiftly leaves the room.

"Did mama leave, mommy?" Noah softly asks, clearly woken up by Callie's beeper.

"She did, buddy. She loves you so much you know."

"I love her too." He pauses. "Is she gonna come back?" I'm a little taken back by this questions because this is the first time he's ever asked it in this situation.

"Of course she will. Mama always comes home."

 **Thanks for reading!**

 **Special thanks to musicforsoul for helping me out :)**


	7. Chapter 7

I don't own anything…all credit goes to ABC/Shondaland

 **Hope you enjoy! Heads up, both POV's in this chapter.**

Chapter Seven

Callie's POV

Walking in from another eventful day at Seattle Grace, I see Arizona leaning against the kitchen island in between Noah and Sofia who are seated on bar stools coloring away in their coloring books.

"Mama's home!" Sofia greets, noticing me first. "Come look at my drawing."

"Me too. I drew a fishy!" Noah exclaims proudly. Making my way further into the kitchen, I drop my bag and keys on the counter across from my family.

"Let's see what you got here, guys." Taking Sofia's picture I see she's drawn herself with wings, a purple tutu, and clouds all around her.

"I'm a flying dancer!"

"I see. What about you, Noah?" He passes me his drawing that's only halfway complete. "These are some pretty good fish, buddy."

"Mommy help me." He adds sheepishly.

"Well I just drew the fish, but you did all the coloring." She says cheering him up. It's then that I notice my wife is dressed in a navy blue cocktail dress, with her hair slightly curled and small diamond stud earrings in her ears. I take a quick glance at the family calendar on the refrigerator behind me and remember that tonight she's going out with some friends. "You forgot didn't you?"

"What? Me, forget? No way." I awkwardly lie, but she sees right through me. "Okay it may have slipped my mind, but it doesn't matter. I'm here, you can go. I'll hold down the fort."

Walking around towards me, she gives me a necklace before turning around and moving her hair to one side. "Callie, what's the point of the calendar if you're not going to read it? I put it on the fridge so you can't miss it."

"I read it…sometimes." I confess while fastening her necklace. "It just slipped my mind, that's all. I kiss the back of her neck and she turns back around facing me. "You look really beautiful by the way."

"Thank you." She grins. "You know they say forgetfulness could be a sign of pregnancy. Maybe you're…"

"We'll take the test tomorrow. Right now, you have a dinner date to go to. Where are you guys going anyway?"

"It's that new Italian place downtown."

"Oooh, it sounds fancy." I place a kiss on her check. "Have fun."

"I will. Okay, so there's some chicken and broccoli in the fridge and I figured you guys could have some rice or pasta with that."

"Sounds good, babe. Say bye to mom, guys."

"Bye mommy." Sof and Noah say unison before returning their attention back to their artwork. Arizona gives them each a kiss goodbye and gathers her things as I walk her towards the front door.

"I might be a little late, okay?"

"Take your time, enjoy yourself. I might be up when you get back."

"Okay, heads up they both had afternoon naps so they are definitely reenergized."

"Noted. Now go, I don't want you to be late." She leans forward to give me a kiss on the lips, but that's quickly interrupted by her cellphone. "See, they're calling you already. Go." I say nudging her out the door.

"Yeah, yeah. Love you."

"Me too." Once she's gone I return to the kitchen to start some dinner. "Alright, who's hungry?!"

"Me!" Sof quickly answers followed by Noah. Pulling some ingredients out the fridge I see Sofia's face scrunch up. "Mama, I don't really like broccoli."

"If I'm being honest, Sof, neither do I. But mommy says it's extremely healthy for us."

"Yeah, but I don't like it." She states, ignoring my previous comment.

"Ice cream for dinner?" Noah suggests.

"Yeah! Ice cream. Please mamaaaa." Sof pleads.

"We can't have ice cream dinner, but how about we skip the broccoli and just have chicken and rice. After that we can make cookies! Sound good?"

"Yayy!" They both cheer with excitement. "What about veggies? Mommy says veggies are important." Sofia says, being the responsible one.

"We can skip the veggies tonight. It'll be our little secret, okay?" Nodding their heads in understanding, I put the broccoli back in the fridge and get started on the other food.

"You guys wanna listen to some music?" I ask trying to make the mood livelier. I notice whenever I come home Arizona most times has the kids coloring or doing activities to keep their minds stimulated. I, on the other hand, would let them watch movies and play all the time cause its summer and their young. Arizona insists that kids lose a lot of the stuff they learn during the school year over the summer, which is true, so it's important to keep them engaged in learning, but sometimes I just want them to let loose. Hearing them laugh and giggle with smiles on their faces is my favorite thing. I know Arizona is looking out for them and I can't be mad at that. I guess between us there's a happy medium. Connecting my iPhone to the wireless speakers, I pick an appropriate song, help the kids out their chairs and watch them wiggle around to the beat.

While they dance and run around the kitchen, I start preparing dinner and within twenty minutes we are seated in the dining room eating. Sofia and Noah tell me all about the their day, making sure to leave nothing out.

"All right, who wants to help me make cookies!?"

"Me! I do!" They answer. Moving back into the kitchen, I gather all the ingredients we'll need and get started. I pick up Sof and put her on the counter while I hold Noah with one arm so he can see everything.

"Can we put chocolate chips in them?" Sof asks, surveying everything on the counter top.

"Of course we can. That's gonna be your job, okay?" I scoop out some chocolate chips and put them in a measuring cup for her to hold. "When it's time you are going to pour them in the big bowl."

"I wanna do it!" Noah pouts.

"You're gonna help too. I need you to pour all the sugar in. Everyone's got an important job." Satisfied with that answer, I combine the flour, eggs, baking power and vanilla together then help Noah pour all the sugar in. They take turns mixing everything together before Sof pours in the most important ingredient. After that's thoroughly mixed together we all make little circular balls of the dough and place them on the cookie sheet. Once they are in the over, I hand them each a small handful of chocolate chips to snack one.

"How long do they take?" Sof questions while nibbling on her sweet treat as I put the cookies in the oven.

"About ten minutes. Not long at all." Looking at the clock, I notice it's only seven thirty in the evening. "What do you guys want to do after we eat cookies?"

"Go to the park?" Sofia suggests.

"Or the movies!" Noah offers.

"Yeah, the movies, mama. I wanna see Finding Dory."

Pulling out my iPad I look up movie times. "That does sound kind of fun. I think we can make an eight fifteen movie. Alright, here's the game plan. You guys go get your shoes on, once the cookies are done we can take them in the car and eat them on the way to the theater."

"Awesome!" Sofia roars as she and Noah head upstairs. I start to clean the kitchen, but my phone ringing disrupts me.

"Hey Addie!"

"Callie Torres, why haven't I spoken to you in a few weeks?" My best friend sternly questions.

"Sorry, sorry. I've been busy."

"Don't worry, me too." She replies, her toughness easily faltering. "How's it going?"

"You know, the same. I can't talk too long, I'm taking the kids to see Finding Dory."

"They are going to love it! Josh and I saw it a few weeks ago."

"Josh, huh? How's that going?"

"Still going strong. It's baseball season so he's gone a lot, but I flew to Florida when they were playing the Marlins and we had a date night."

"That distance must suck."

"Yeah, but it seems like every women in Los Angeles is having babies and they are all coming to me, so I've been working all the time. I was only in Florida for eighteen hours, but we hadn't seen each other in three weeks so I just had to visit him."

"Well that was nice of you." Taking the cookies out the oven, I let them cool for a minute or two while I gather my things. "We really need to catch up, maybe I'll call you when I get back tonight."

"Yeah, yeah of course. I can tell you're in mommy mode so don't let me interrupt you. Tonight's my first free night in the while so I'm just catching up on some tv and drinking some wine."

"God, that sounds amazing right now. Anyway, we'll talk later."

"Sure thing, tell everyone I said hello."

"Will do." The line disconnects and I put some cookies in a container and head upstairs to make sure the kids are ready. "Everything good?" I ask peaking into Noah's room.

"Uh-huh. I was helping Noah with his shoes."

"That's nice of you, Sof. Noah, did you thank your sister?"

"Thanks, Sof." He gives her a hug and I swear my heart melts as he wraps his little arms around his sister. I know all parents say it, but I swear I have the cutest kids.

"Time to get into the car if we wanna make it on time." Ushering them down the stairs, I lock up the house and help them into their booster seats. "Everybody ready?"

"Yeah."

"Wait!" Sofia yells. "The cookies."

"Right," Grabbing the small box from the passenger seat I pass them each two cookies and a napkin. "Now are we ready?"

"Yep! Finding Dory time!"

About two hours later we arrive back at the house and luckily for me Arizona isn't home yet because I haven't cleaned up the kitchen. "Pajama time." I announce opening the door for Sof and Noah.

"Can you help me, mama?" Noah asks after letting out a big yawn. Picking him up, I grab Sof's hand and lead us all upstairs.

"Can you brush your teeth while I help your brother?"

"Okay." She sleepily answers walking into her room. Turning into Noah's room I help him brush his teeth and change into his pajamas. Seeing as his eyes are can barely stay open, I skip story time and tuck him into bed.

"Love you, Noah." I say kissing him on the forehead. "I'll see you in the morning."

"Night night." I flick on his nightlight before turning off his room light and closing his door halfway. Walking across to Sofia's room, I see her seated on her bed in the pink and purple princess pajamas.

"How's it going in here?"

"Good. I'm sleepy though."

"Well let's get you into bed then." Pulling back her bed covers she crawls in. Sitting on the edge of her bed, I push her hair out her face and look over her. It always seems that we're moving so quick that I miss her growing up. Her eyes may be my color, but they are the same shape as Mark's. "Your hair is getting long."

"I know. Mommy says it looks like yours."

"It does. It's very pretty."

"Can you read me a story?"

"I'd love to read you a story." I grab a book off her bookshelf and scoot into bed next to her. "How's the one?"

"It's one of my favorites." She grins. "Mama?"

"Hmm?"

"Can you read it in Spanish?" This is the first time she's asked me to read her something in Spanish. I know she's learning it along with Mandarin in school, but I've never read her a complete story in Spanish. In all honesty, I should probably engage in Spanish with her more so she can practice. Not to mention, its very much part of her heritage.

"Sure, let me know if you don't understand something." Halfway through the story I noticed she's out for the night. So I carefully remove myself from her bed and shut off the light before exiting the room. Going back downstairs, I notice it's a little after eleven at night. After about fifteen minutes I hear the front door open then close and the shuffle of Arizona's feet into the kitchen.

"You're still up." Coming up next to me near the sink she gives me a kiss on the cheek.

"Yeah, I just finished straightening up down here." I reply, tossing the dishtowel on the counter. "How was dinner?"

"Actually really good. Funny enough, we went to your hotel, the T Hotel for drinks beforehand."

"I hear they have a great bar on the rooftop. And it's not my hotel."

"Callie, it's named after your family." She states matter-of-factly.

"Yeah, but I don't think of it as _my_ hotel. Besides, you're a Torres too so if anything it's our hotel." I say pecking her lips.

"Well I love being a Torres, so if a hotel chain comes with the territory then I take it." Kissing me again, she circles her arms around my neck. "How was your night?"

"Really good." Mimicking her actions, I put my arms around her waist. "Had dinner, made cookies, I talked to Addie briefly, and we saw Finding Dory."

"Aw man, I was hoping to take them to see that movie."

"I'm sure they would love to see it again."

"You're probably right about that. Hey, it's almost midnight. We could take a pregnancy test tonight if you want."

"No, that's okay. We can just wait until we wake up." I shrug off and dropping our gaze.

"Come on, it's like a few minutes away. By the time we go upstairs and change into our pajamas it'll be tomorrow. I even bought a whole bunch of pregnancy test the other day. I still had some of mine, but I wasn't sure if they expire or not so I just—"

"Arizona, stop." Cutting off her ramble, I move out of her our embrace. "Let's just wait, okay?"

Clearly not picking up on me wanting to drop the topic, she keeps talking. "I mean really, what's a few more hours anyway, right?"

"I'm not doing it tonight." I state more firmly and taking a few more steps away from her.

"Umm, okay. What's going on?" She asks softening her demeanor. "Do you know something I don't already?"

Letting out a big sigh and running my hands through my hair, I turn to walk away, but she catches my wrist and stands in front of me again. "Can we just go to sleep, please?"

"No, we can't just go to sleep, Callie." She adds emphatically, her soft tone gone immediately. "Why don't you want to take a test?"

"I'm not doing this right now. I'm going upstairs." Turning on my heels, I exit the kitchen and head upstairs with her right behind me.

"What the hell, Calliope?" She whispers as we pass our kids bedrooms towards our master suite. "Is something wrong? Did something happen?"

"Let's just drop it, okay?"

"We can drop it when you give me a reason why." Shutting our bedroom door, she sits next to me on the edge of the bed.

"God, you're just relentless tonight." I spit out with a more irritation then I initially intend to. "I'll give you your damn test." Snapping up, I head into the bathroom and start opening drawers and cabinets looking for a stick to pee on.

"We're not going to do it like this. Not when you're upset or whatever."

Stopping her from entering the bathroom, I decide to take things into my own hands. "I'm going to do it right now so we can get it over with." Closing the door, I finally find a test and quickly sit on the toilet to take care of business. Once I finish I flush the toilet, wash my hands and set my phone to a two-minute timer. Barely thirty seconds have passed when I hear a knock on the door.

"Callie, can I please come in?" Arizona asks quietly. "Please?" Opening the door, she comes in and stands next to me leaning against the sink. Not one word is spoken until the timer goes off. Picking up the stick again, I read the words "Not Pregnant" before handing it off to my wife.

"I knew it." I mutter to myself.

"Callie, I'm sorry." She says full of compassion and taking one of my hands. "Wh-what did you mean you 'knew it'?"

"I mean I haven't felt anything different since two weeks ago after we left the doctors office. Completely nothing. It's like I knew right away it wouldn't work."

"Sometimes people don't feel any signs, ya know? It's just—"

"You don't get it, I just knew immediately. Everyday I would wish for just the smallest of signs to give me some hope, but I got nothing. This is why I didn't want any expectations or anything."

"Well Callie it's kinda hard not to have any expectations doing this. Just think if it were the opposite, you'd be pregnant right now."

"But I'm not."

"So we can try again."

"Arizona—"

"When you're ready, we can try again." She rapidly follows up. "I just thought if we waited until we woke up tomorrow, maybe I would feel a change or something."

"I didn't mean to upset you earlier. I was just so excited. I was excited for the both of us cause I know you were lacking some positivity and—"

"I swear sometimes you make it seem like I'm some kind of heartless, emotionless person, Arizona." Pushing myself off the counter, I run my hand up and down my face trying to compose myself. "Just because I'm not out buying all the baby clothes Seattle has to offer and stuffing them into closets doesn't mean I'm not excited. I don't know how else to tell you that I'm in this. If I wasn't I wouldn't be so upset right now. And before you say anything I know it didn't work on the your first try, but I guess we just handle things differently." Exiting the en suite I prepare myself for bed. The next ten minutes are tense between us as we both go about our nightly routines. Once we're both in bed, the silence continues as we try and get comfortable on our respective sides.

"Arizona." I utter out into the bedroom darkness.

"Calliope." Closing the short space between us, I lean my head on my wife's shoulder.

"I really wanted it to work."

"I know you did," Giving me a kiss on my forehead she begins massaging my head with her hand. "Me too, babe."

"I couldn't help myself, I read the statistics. It only works twenty percent of the time, but I just thought…I don't know."

"Hey, hey, don't play the numbers game. Everyone is different."

"I didn't mean to blow up at you."

"I understand. At least we can tell the hormones are working." She jokes. "I know what you meant earlier. I swear I thought I was pregnant the first time we tried with Noah. Like you said, it's almost as if you can feel it. But then I wasn't and then I ate my body weight in ice cream that day."

"I didn't think we ate that much."

"Oh I did. After you went to bed that night I ate a whole bunch more."

"How long did this failure feeling last for?"

"First of all, you're not a failure. It's biology…it's science. You would know that better than anyone. Also, just waking up the next day to you and Sof was just a reminder of how much I already had to be thankful for." More silence falls between us as I draw invisible circles across her stomach. "So you found the baby clothes in my office closet?"

"It was an accident. I was looking for something else." I confess truthfully. "Why? I mean I get buying a onesie or two, but at that point we hadn't even really talked about another kid."

"If I'm being completely honest, a part of me wished you would find them eventually so that would force us to have that conversation again. Time passed, then the California trip came up and we had that talk then. If you're worried about the clothes I can return them, I have the receipts or I could give them to someone else…"

"I'm not worried about that. I just wanted to know why, that's all, but does that mean you bought baby clothes in hopes of talking to me about a baby? Cause you could've just spoken to me."

"Yes and no. I think consciously I got them cause I genuinely thought they were cute and most of them were on sale, and you know me, I hardly pass up a good sale." She laughs, "And then of course there's a part of me that pictured our next kid in them."

"I guess none of it matters anymore."

"Calliope, don't say that."

"No, I didn't mean it like that. I mean regardless of why you got them, they are here now. I'm sure some kid will look adorable in them and hopefully that kid will be ours."

"It will be. Eventually. You know religion isn't my thing, but isn't there some saying like 'keep the faith'?"

"Yes, babe. People do say that."

"Yeah, so keep the faith, Calliope." Kissing my forehead once again, she wraps an arm around me, keeping me as close as possible to her. "I love you to the moon and back. Calliope."

"I know. Me too." Our tiredness finally consumes us as we drift on to sleep. Undoubtedly with a lot on our minds.

 **Arizona's POV**

An ideal morning would be to take up curled up with my wife sharing random thoughts, small laughs, and a few stolen kisses while the television hums in the background before our two adorable children come join us in bed. Unfortunately for me, those mornings rarely happen and today isn't any different.

"Callieeee…." I groan out while trying to savor a few more minutes of sleep. The sun shining brightly through the window and my wife's movements are making that difficult.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to wake you." She replies, walking out of the bathroom.

"Why so early, babe?"

"Really? Did you forget?"

"Uh…help me out here, please. My brain isn't fully functioning yet." Sitting up in bed, I notice her attire and it all comes back to me. "Swim lessons."

"Yes, swim lessons that you so happily scheduled for me and Noah at eight thirty in the morning."

"I'm sorry. I think it was the only available class left."

"Hmm, I wonder why?" She sarcastically chuckles. "Is this suit too much?" Looking over herself, she questions her swimwear. "All I really have are bikinis and my one piece suit is dips a little too low at the chest if you catch my drift. I'm not really sure what's appropriate for a three year olds swim lesson."

"First of all you look hot." Grabbing her hand, I pull her down to sit next to me on the bed. "Second of all, as long as you aren't wearing that red thin-string bikini I'm okay. Cause that's for my eyes only. I don't want any dads or moms getting any funny ideas."

"Arizona." She humorously brushes off.

"It's not you I'm worried about, it's the other people. No, but in all seriousness you look fine. This blue piece covers all the important pieces and is very modest for a toddlers swim lesson."

"Good." Jumping up, she quickly slips on some shorts and a t-shirt before fixing her hair.

"How are you feeling?"

"I'm good. A little tired, but I think Noah and I will have fun. He likes the water."

"Yeah, that's great, but I mean with everything that happened last night."

"Oh, um, about as good as expected, you know?" I can tell I don't have her full attention, but I don't press her too much. "I'm gonna go wake up Noah and get him changed."

"Okay. Make sure he wears those swim trunks with the sharks on them. Those are his favorite."

"Yes dear!" She sings on her way out the bedroom. I decide to get up and freshen up a little in the bathroom. After checking on Sof, and seeing she's still sleeping I head downstairs to start a pot of coffee. Fifteen minutes later I hear Calliope and Noah make their way down the stairs.

"Morning mommy." Noah greets me. "Me and mama swim today!"

"I know, buddy. You're going to have such a good time. Do you want a quick breakfast?"

"I was thinking I'd get us something on the way back. I don't want anything to upset his stomach."

"Nothing big, I think we've got some berries in the fridge." Opening the refrigerator, I dig out some fruit for him to take in the car. "Did you get towels and a change of clothes?"

"Yeah, I've got a bag packed. We should really get going though, I haven't been to this new place so it might take me a while to find it."

"Okay, okay." Handing off some fruit, I walk them to the door. "So I can expect you guys back within a couple of hours?"

"Yeah, I think the lesson is only forty-five minutes."

"Sounds good. Have fun and don't drown."

"You know I can actually swim, right?"

"Yeah I know, sometimes I just forget because you're always floating around on one of those inflatable things." I tease. "Love you." With one last peck, half my family is out the door. Sofia and I spent the morning lounging around. Well I was lounging; Sofia was busy showing me her latest dance moves and singing along to one of her favorite shows when Callie and Noah returned home.

"How was it, Noah?" I ask as he waddles in barefoot and wrapped in a towel way to big for him.

"I don't like swimming." He pouts with his little arms folded across his chest aggressively.

"What happened? Where's mama?"

"I'm here, I'm here." With her phone stuck between her shoulder and ear, my wife walks in with a duffle bag and a box of donuts. "I got breakfast."

"Donuts!" Sofia cheers and eagerly takes the box from my wife.

"How was the lesson?" I ask a little concerned given my son's demeanor. Callie holds up a finger and walks into a different room talking to someone on the phone in Spanish.

"Guys, sit her for a sec. And share the donuts." Leaving them be for the moment, I follow Callie into another room. While I wait for her to finish her call, she gives me a polite smile. I can pick up a few words, but not enough to piece anything together especially given the speed at which she's talking. I can only assume its family since she usually talks to them in Spanish, even so it's rare occasion that she uses her second language.

"Okay, okay. I got it." She says continuing her pace around the room, "I gotta go. Bye." Hanging up the phone, she turns her attention to me. "What's up?"

"Who was on the phone?"

"Oh, um, just family." Raising an eyebrow in suspicion, she speaks up again. "My moms side of the family. I don't talk to them much, something came up they wanted me to know about."

"Is everything okay?"

"Yeah, I think so. I don't know. Let's not talk about my mom or her side of the family. I love them, but I get depressed talking about them."

"Fine. How were swim lessons?"

"Great! I mean Noah had a difficult time, but I think he'll warm up to it."

"He said he didn't like it."

"Everything was great during the first ten minutes when it was open swim and getting used to the water, but as soon as formal instructions were given he froze up. He wouldn't get off the wall, and when he did he was attached to me the whole time."

"Calliope, that doesn't sound like great to me."

"It's just gonna take some time. He'll get used to it."

"Mhmkay, if you say so."

"I promise it will be all good." She gives me a kiss for confirmation before taking both of my hands in hers. "I did some thinking last night and this morning and I've come to a decision."

"About?"

"I wanna try again as soon as possible. My body is already used to the hormones and we've got a little momentum going. I just don't want to wait, like why wait?" She rapidly rambles. It's very rare that Callie goes on these fast tangents; it's usually always me speaking too fast for my own good. "Plus Noah turns four really soon and I don't want him and the next kid to be too far apart. It worked with you on your second time, so maybe that luck will rub off on me. I just wanna keep going. I can set up an appointment next week hopefully. Then a few more weeks after that we test again. I could be pregnant in a month or two!" She yelps with heavy excitement. "What do you think?"

"I'm right there with you, babe." I'm a little surprised by her very energetic attitude, but deciding not to go against it, I support her all the way. I like this side of Callie, it's a rare sight, but it's surprising uplifting and contagious when she's so full energy. "Let's do it!"

"That's the spirit I'm looking for!" Grabbing my swiftly by the waist, she pulls me in for a very deep and passionate kiss. One we've shared many times before, but not with our kids just a few feet away. It takes me a few seconds to catch on and when I do she guides us back until my back meets the wall.

"Someone's in a good mood, aren't we?" Breaking for air, she brushes a few strands of hair out of my face and stares deeply into my eyes.

"I'm in a great mood, Arizona." She grins, showing off her pearly whites. "Let's eat donuts!"

"Yeah, okay." Leaving me a daze, she rejoins the kids in the other room.

"Mama can I have a second donut?" Sof asks sweetly. "Me too." Noah adds.

"You can have as many as you guys want!" She answers. "Arizona, get in here. I got your favorite. Sprinkles!"

"On my way!" I'm not sure of everything that just transpired in the last ten minutes, but something definitely did. I hate second-guessing my wife and sudden surge of energy, so I decide to just go with the flow and chalk it up to a really, _really_ good morning.

 **AN: Some people kind of picked up on it at the end of the last chapter. There is some stuff brewing. As Shonda would say, "Trust the journey…"**

 **Thanks for reading and to musicforsoul for helping me out.**


	8. Chapter 8

I don't own anything…all credit goes to ABC/Shondaland

 **Hope you enjoy!**

Chapter Eight

Arizona's POV

"Did you get some cake?" My wife purrs into my ear as she comes up behind me, lightly placing her hands on my hips. "It's really good."

"No, not yet. I'll get some later though." Turning around in her arms, I place a peck on her lips. "How's it going?"

"Really good. I think Noah is enjoying his party." For our son's fourth birthday, we decided to reserve a local park for a few hours and have a birthday barbeque. Noah loves this park because it has a huge jungle gym, swing sets, a sandbox, and other things kids love to play on. My parents came in town and my dad has been steady working the grill for almost two hours, serving up hotdogs and hamburgers. My mother has been introducing herself to all of me and Callie's friends and most likely sharing embarrassing stories about me. "Do you think he'll remember all this?"

"Noah?" She nods yes, "Most likely not. I think the earliest party I can remember was my sixth or seventh."

"So when did you start hating your birthday?"

"I don't hate it per se, I just think it's another day. I don't really like having the attention on me. Have I ever told you I'm happy you didn't propose to me in public setting like a restaurant or something? That would've been so overwhelming, and a proposal is already overwhelming enough. So thank you, Calliope." I smile.

"For proposing or for not proposing in a public setting?"

"Both." I grin, giving her another kiss. "I can't believe Noah's already four? He's starting pre-kindergarten in the fall. He's growing up too fast, and I don't like it."

"I know, babe. I remember talking to him in your stomach and feeling him kick your belly."

"Remember how you called him 'nugget'?"

"Ahh, yes. My little nugget." She chuckles in remembrance. "That was adorable, right?"

"It was. He was so tiny. The first couple of times I held him I thought I was gonna break him."

"I just remember watching you with him for the first time. I had pictured it a few times, but actually seeing you with was everything I imagined and more. And seeing's Sof's eyes light up when she saw her brother for the first was so cute."

"Speaking of our little munchkin here she comes." I see Sof's pigtails bounce up and down as she comes up behind Callie. "Having fun, Sof?"

"Mhmm." She bobs. "Grandma said I had to ask you if I could have another piece of cake."

"Yeah go for it." I place a kiss atop her head as she scurries back to the table with the cake on it.

"Where's our son anywhere?" Callie asks. Scanning over the crowd of kids and adults I notice I don't see Noah.

"Actually I don't know—wait there he is." My dad has Noah next to him as she continues to grill food. "Should he be that close to the grill? With all the smoke and stuff?"

"No, I'll go talk to my dad."

"You do that. I'm going to start cleaning up a little." Once we part I head over towards my dad. "How's it going over here?"

"Hey Arizona. Just teaching my grandson here the art of grilling. Just like I taught you and Tim."

"I see, but dad he's only four." Picking Noah up, he continues to munch on a hotdog while I wipe the crumbs off his face. "How many hotdogs have you fed him?"

"As many as he's asked for." Great, Noah's probably going to have an upset stomach later tonight with all the food he's consumed this afternoon. "I'm really proud of you, Arizona. You and Callie are raising a great young man. He's already got some good manners."

"Thanks dad." Hearing my dad say that really means a lot to me. If Noah grew up to be anything like my dad or Tim I would be extremely happy. They are both great role models. Sure I wish my dad showed a little more emotion, but that just means when he does he really meant it. "We try our best."

"Well you two are doing a fine job. Same with Sofia. Great kids."

"Mommy I'm thirsty." Noah interjects.

"Go find mama. She'll get you something to drink" I set him down and he walks over towards Callie and the other party guests.

"Your mother has been wondering if you and Callie would have another kid." Even though he won't admit it, I think he secretly wonders the same thing. "Is that something you two would consider?" He asks taking a swig of his beer and keeping his focus on the meat in front of him.

"Possibly. We've talked about it. You think you can handle another grandkid?" I question lightheartedly.

"I can handle whatever you throw at me. Tim doesn't seem to be making any movement in that department right now. Do what's best for you and your family. As long as you're happy I'm happy."

"I appreciate that. How's Tim anyway? He barely answers his phone anymore."

"You know your brother. Once he gets invested in something, he's almost unreachable. He's focusing on summer classes so he can finish early and graduate in the winter."

"Well tell him to call his sister sometime, please. I miss him."

"I'll pass along the message."

"You were a major hit with the burgers, Daniel." My wife says coming over to us.

"Well thank you, Callie. I'd like to think it's the Robbins touch that does the trick." Callie gives me the look. The look that says she's sorry, but has to go.

"There was a major crash on the highway and it's all hands on deck at the hospital." Looking just over her shoulder, I see the hospital crew that came to celebrate Noah's birthday getting ready to leave. "I hate to leave you like this, especially right now, but."

"It's fine. Go head, I've got my parents here."

"I'm sorry. I'll be back as soon as I can."

"Don't apologize for doing your job. Go. I'll see you later." She throws me a grateful smile and I watch as she hustles to leave with the other doctors.

"Doesn't get any easier does it?" My father questions.

"Not really, but I understand. I just think of it in reverse. If I needed someone to fix me up, I'd want Callie to leave whatever she was doing to come save me. She's the best."

"That's a very mature way to look at it."

"It's the truth. "Anyway," I start, changing the topic. "We'll probably leave here within the hour, so once you're done here we can start packing up."

"Sounds good."

"Good, I'm going to see if I can convince the kids to play a game a tag so they can burn off some cake and tire themselves out."

"Good luck with that." He tips his beer bottle towards me as I walk back over to the jungle gym. The rest of the party went off smoothly, and most importantly Noah was happy with everything. I thought by the time we got home the kids would be worn out and tired, but it seems all the cake and ice cream kicked them into second gear. Sofia and Noah played for another hour outside in the backyard and soaked up all the extra attention my mom and dad gave them. Once they were somewhat tamed, we all shared a light dinner that was prepared by my mother and then it was bath time quickly followed by story time. After my parents turned in for the night, I grabbed a glass and a bottle of white wine and relaxed on a chaise lounger in the backyard. Between glasses of wine and a few phone calls to friends, I enjoyed a calming Seattle summer night.

The sound of the back door startles me awake. "Sorry, sorry. It's just me." Callie whispers coming outside. "What are you doing outside, babe? It's late."

"I must've dozed off. What time is it?" I ask sitting up in my seat.

"A little after one in the morning."

"I didn't think I was out for that long." Making room for my wife, she lays down on the lounger next to me. "I thought you would be home until later. The accident looked pretty bad on the news."

"It was. We lost a lot of people unfortunately."

"I'm sorry."

"Yeah me too. How did the rest of the night go?"

"It was good. The kids really like having my parents around."

"Yeah, your parents are pretty great. I'm just happy they have one set of good grandparents."

"Your dad loves Noah and Sof." Carlos may not be the most hands on grandfather, but he's done a lot for Sofia and Noah and he loves them dearly.

"I know, but he hasn't seen them in two years. You would think with as much travel he does he'd stop by for a day or two, but he's always busy."

"He calls them sometimes and sends them things."

"I know, but it's not the same. Not to mention my mother. She hasn't even met Noah and I don't think she cares." She says with a mixture of pain and anger in her voice. "It's one thing to hate me, but it sucks that she takes it out on her grandkids. Her own flesh and blood. Aria told me she won't even look at pictures of them and leaves them room whenever she or my father mentions their names."

"I'm really sorry, Calliope. If there was something I could do to change that I would."

"It's not on you. Or anyone for that matter, it's on her. It all goes back to me being very grateful for your parents. I'm happy they were able to come up."

"Me too."

"I see why you came out here tonight. It's peaceful out here." Looking up at the sky, there is a full moon surrounded by thousands and thousands of little stars. She wraps a supportive arm around me as I lay my head on her chest. "You know what I was thinking earlier?"

"Hmm?"

"Taking you out on a date."

"Really?" I ask intrigued. "We haven't had a date in a few weeks."

"I know. I was thinking more along the lines of a breakfast date. We could go to our favorite diner tomorrow morning if your parents don't mind watching the kids for an hour or two."

"Of course they wouldn't mind. I would love to go on a breakfast date with you, Calliope." Leaning up to kiss her, she places a hand on the back of my neck and holds me close. "Mmm, I hope we get to do a lot of this on our date."

"It's a possibility." She smirks kissing me again. This time our mouths open and I don't waste anytime slipping my tongue into her mouth. Her strong, but soft hands glide under my shirt and begin to roam my lower back. Just as things are heating up, I feel a vibration between us.

"Um, babe, you're vibrating. I think it's your phone."

"What?" She asks looking into my eyes before realization hits her. "Oh, crap. I'm sorry." Fishing out her phone, she quickly dismisses the call.

"Who's calling you at one in the morning? I ask genuinely interested. "It better not be your secret lover." I joke.

"No, it's not her. She calls my other phone." She teasingly jabs back. "It was just Aria. She's probably traveling and doesn't realize the time different."

"Oh, well we were having a great time before that little interruption."

"We were." Kissing me again, she gets a little bolder with her hand movements.

"Mhmm, while I'm thoroughly enjoying this, can we take this inside and in our bedroom please?"

"I like that idea." Her phone beeps again and her facial expression drops. "You know what, I'll meet you up there in a few."

"Callie…"

"Just a second, babe. I promise. Let me just call Aria back."

"Fine." I say getting up. "It's late so be quick."

"I will." As I walk back inside, I throw a knowing look over my shoulder towards my wife and she gives me a warm smile before returning her focus to her phone. I double check the first floor and make sure all the doors are secure and then retire upstairs to our bedroom. As I change into my pajamas, I take a peek out the window and see Callie kicking one of the kid's soccer balls around as she talks on the phone. It doesn't seem like a very animated conversation, but it does seem a little odd that she's returning her sisters call at this time of the day.

"See, not long at all." My wife announces coming into our room ten minutes later.

"I was starting to think you forgot about me."

"What? That's ridiculous. I could never." Stalking up the bed, she hovers me with a hand on each side of my body. "I'm pretty sure I was about to take off your shirt."

"Oh really?"

"Yep, I'll show you right now."

The next morning Callie and I were able to escape the house without too much of a discussion from the kids as they were engrossed with my father telling them a story and my mother whipping up some waffles.

"So what's your week looking like?" I ask as my wife continues to enjoy her breakfast of French toast, bacon, and orange juice. Personally I went for a couple of eggs, potatoes, toast and some coffee.

"Uh, I think it's pretty light surgically." She starts, taking a sip of her juice. "Unless an emergency comes up. Chief really wants me to get in the lab and start innovating. His words, not mine." She chuckles.

"That doesn't sound too bad. Got any ideas?"

"Not really. I have a few I'm toying with, but I've got to read up some more and do a lot of research."

"I'm sure you'll think of something. You always do."

"Thanks. It would be pretty cool to create something that helps change the face of medicine. Anyway, enough about me what are you up to this week?"

"Well Sofia has her dance camp and I signed Noah and I up for a morning art class this week."

"That sounds fun! He should enjoy that."

"Yeah, I'm pretty excited. Did I ever tell you I got asked to teach a session of summer school?"

"No, you didn't. You should considerate though."

"Eh, I thought about it, but I don't want to. I like having the days free in the summer and hanging with the kids. It's kind of the best of both worlds for me. I get to be a stay at home mom during the summer and then I also get to teach the rest of the year. It's a good balance for me."

"As long as it works for you and you're happy then it's all good." Eyeing the table next to us, I notice she's glancing at the young couple and what has to be a very new baby with them. She smiles at the little girl before returning her attention to me.

"Calliope, are you okay?" I ask gingerly.

"Yeah, I'm fine."

"Hey," I say placing my hand on hers that's on the table. "I promise you we'll have another baby. You start you next round of hormones next week. If that doesn't work we'll try again or a new method or something. We have options."

"I know. I'm okay, promise. Are you ready to go?"

"Yeah, I'm finished. We don't have to leave right away."

"It's a little crowded in here, besides we have a some time before we should get back home. I thought we could take a little stroll."

"I'd like that." Flagging down our waiter, Callie gets our check and I get a to-go cup for my coffee to take along on our walk. Passing by shops and boutiques, Callie and I hold hands as we take in the scenery around us. It's a sunny and breezy morning as other couples and families seemed to have similar ideas and decide to venture out. "You know our anniversary is coming up."

"Almost five years since we went down to the courthouse. It went by quick, don't you think?"

"Definitely." I reply. "But that's been our thing. It works for us."

"I just knew with you. You came into my life and instantly made it better."

"Aw, that's sweet of you to say."

"It's true." She says matter-of-factly.

"Do you ever feel like we missed out on just being newlyweds? We never got that year or two to just be married. We already had Sof and Noah was on the way." Thinking back on it, I never knew Callie as just Callie. Ever since I've known her she's been a mother. Sometimes I wonder how things would've been different, if any, if she didn't already have Sofia before we met.

"I don't think we missed out, we just experience our first years together differently."

"Fair enough. What should we do for our anniversary?"

"I don't know. I'm not really good with ideas for that kind of stuff. As long as we're together I'm happy. Unless you have something special in mind."

"No, not really. Maybe just a day to ourselves."

"Sounds perfect, babe."

"Or a weekend in Hawaii."

"That does sound nice. Whatever you want. We should probably head back now. Your parents have a plane to catch later."

"Yeah, you're right." Tugging lightly on her hand, she stops walking and looks at me. "Thank you for our breakfast date. I really enjoyed it."

"Me too. I know I've been a little all over the place lately."

"It's okay. We all have our moments." Placing a kiss on her lips, we start walking back towards the car. "Just know next time I'm taking you out."

"I like that idea." She smiles.

"Also, when we get home can you check in with Noah?"

"What do you mean?"

"The other day when you left in the middle of the night has asked me if you were going to come home."

"Why would he ask that?" She asks concerned.

"I don't know. It took me by surprise too. Maybe just give him some extra attention today. You did leave during his party and I know that was an emergency, but he doesn't fully understand that."

"Did he say something else?"

"No. I'm sure it's not a big deal, but maybe just keep a close eye on him today. Or help him set up all his new toys he got at his party."

"Okay. Let's get home then." The rest of the morning and early afternoon was spent hanging with my parents for the remainder of their time here. I left Callie and the kids at home while I drove my parents to the airport and stopped at the store on the way home.

"Callie?" I call out walking inside our house.

"Shhhhh." Sofia warns running up to me with a finger over her mouth. "Be quiet, mommy."

"What's going on, Sof? What are you doing down here by yourself?"

"Playing on my iPad." She says like it's the most obvious thing in the world.

"Where are Noah and mommy?"

"Sleeping upstairs."

"Okay. I'll go check on them."

"You gotta be real quiet."

"I promise I will." Sof goes back to the couch and her device while I walk upstairs. Turning into our son's room I see toys and paper directions scattered everywhere. Ignoring the mess I see Noah laying directly on top of my wife in his little toddler bed with one arm keeping him safe and close. It reminds me of times when Noah was still a baby and Callie would sleep with him and hold him the exact same way. Tiptoeing around everything, I knell down next to bed and gently shake her.

"Callie." String a little, she slowly opens her eyes.

"Hey you." She whispers. "You're back."

"Mhmm. It seems like you guys had a good time in here."

"We did. We were putting together things and played a little bit. We must've feel asleep. Crap." Awareness hits her and her eyes go wide. "Where's Sof. I was listening out for her, but—"

"It's okay. She's fine. She's playing on her iPad in the living room." Letting out a sigh of relief, she relaxes once again. "I stopped at the store and got all the ingredients you asked for."

"Yes! Thank you, thank you. I'll get started on that later. It's a classic Torres family recipe I've been craving."

"I'm anxious to try it. Finish resting up. I'll be downstairs."

"Okay, love you."

"Love you, too." I give her a kiss as well as one on my sleeping son's head and exit the room. A few minutes later I check on them again. To my delight, Callie is snoozing once again and this time I'm able to capture a picture of them together on my phone. I can never have too many cute family pictures on my phone.

 **Thanks for reading!**

 **Thank you to musicforsoul for helping me out.**


	9. Chapter 9

I don't own anything…all credit goes to ABC/Shondaland

 **Hope you enjoy!**

Chapter Nine

Callie's POV

"The cafeteria didn't have anything good today, so I just picked us up a couple of sandwiches." Grey says returning to the lab where I've been working almost all day for the past couple of weeks. I feel like I'm close to something, but also so far away from any kind of breakthrough.

"That'll do. Thanks." I put aside the tools I was working with a take a quick lunch break with Meredith. Oddly enough we've become pretty close the past couple of months. Sometimes I hang out in her office or vice versa and we've had lunch together the last few weeks. We're able to talk to each other about almost anything and it's kind of refreshing hearing her blunt responses. It almost reminds me of Cristina in a way.

"So have you settled on an anniversary idea yet?" She asks sliding my sandwich over to me and sitting on the other side of the table.

"No, I have a few ideas but nothing seems perfect. Arizona deserves perfect. I want to give her perfect."

"Well it's only five years, you don't have to go all out until the twentieth anniversary. That's major. Twenty years with the same person. Just think about it."

"Huh, you do have a point. Either way, I need something good."

"I know I was pretty drunk during your wedding reception, but I'm positive you guys got married in December. It was a wonderland theme I think."

"We legally got married late summer, early fall." "I confess, which earns me a surprised look from Meredith. "The wedding was in December."

"Oh shit, you're serious!?"

"Yeah, it just worked out better that way."

"And here I was thinking I was at your real wedding. It was all fake."

"It wasn't fake, we just decided to have the actually wedding later."

"Damn Torres, just when I think I'm starting to know you, you drop a little bomb like that on me."

"Yeah, yeah. Give me some ideas."

"So jewelry's out the question?"

"I think so. It's a last resort. She's not really into material and flashy things."

"Mini vacation somewhere? Just the two of you, no kids. You've got that place in Hawaii, right?"

"Yeah, she actually mentioned that, but we go there for Christmas. I want something different."

"What about a weekend trip to New York? They've got everything. Broadway, concerts, art, sports, food and shopping."

"New York. That might be a good idea."

"You're welcome." Grey grins proudly. "Speaking of weddings. I got an invite to Jordan's the other day. Did you?"

"I don't think so. I'm not really surprised though. We're exes."

"Yeah and colleagues. Clearly you've both moved on and half the hospital is invited."

"I guess I was left off that list."

"You should ask her—" Speaking of Dr. Mitchell, she comes into the lab right in the middle of the conversation. "Jordan, hey, we were just talking about you."

"All good things I hope." Walking over to us, I notice an envelope in her hand. "I was hoping I could talk to you, Callie. Just for a second."

"Yeah, sure." I look at Grey who is looking at Jordan and is clearly intrigued by all of this.

"Oh don't worry, I won't say anything." Meredith smirks as she continues to munch on her sandwich.

"Oookay, anyway. I wanted to personally invite you to my wedding." She starts, passing over the cream colored envelope. "I was going to send it to you, but I thought giving it to you in person would allow me to explain something."

"Jordan you really don't have to say anything."

"Let her talk." Meredith injects, earning sharps looks from both of us. "Sorry. Go on."

"Like I was saying. I'd be more than happy to have you there. I invited most of the hospital and I didn't want to exclude you. Before anything we were friends in medical school. And I know that didn't end well and when I showed up things got messy again, but I'd love to have you there. My fiancée is totally okay with it and she knows our history. That being said, I completely understand if you don't want to come. It's up to you."

"Thanks. I appreciate that."

"And you're more than welcome to bring Arizona as your plus one." My guard immediately goes up when she mentions my wife's name because she hasn't been the most pleasant to her. "I know we've had a rocky past, but it's been a few years and regardless of everything I'm sorry about how I treated her."

"Thank you. That really means a lot."

"Like I said it's up to you. I don't need a decision right away."

"I'll let you know something as soon as I can."

"Great. Meredith will I see you and Derek there?"

"Oh most definitely."

"Good, well I'll see you guys later than." She waves goodbye and leaves the lab.

"Sooo?" Grey immediately budges.

"So I'll get back to her."

"Oh come on, that was so nice and civil. You have to go. Who doesn't love a wedding?"

"I don't know…I have to talk it over with Arizona. I don't want her to feel uncomfortable."

"Yeah, what's the history there? I have to know. Did Arizona throw the first punch? She seems a little quiet, but it's always the quiet ones you have to watch out for."

"There were no punches thrown. None of that." I quickly dismiss much to Grey's disappointment. "Jordan just did some shady stuff that's all. At least that's what Arizona has told me." I've always felt like Arizona was leaving something out with her interactions with Jordan, but I trust her and she said she handled it herself.

"Jordan did save Sofia's life. So that's a major positive."

"First off, Sofia wasn't dying. She had an allergy we didn't know about. I'm sure an intern could've saved her, but I wanted the best and Jordan is great at her job. Besides Karev saw Sof first, she came in at the end."

"Either way you slice it, she did help Sofia."

"She was doing her job. Anyway, can we get back to my wife please? More anniversary ideas. Maybe New York, maybe jewelry."

"She teaches history, right? Maybe get her some historical artifact. Like the United States Constitution or something."

"I don't think I can buy her the Constitution." I admire Grey's ambition, even though it's a little outrageous sometimes. "But I understand what you're thinking."

"You'll come up with something and I'm sure Arizona will love it."

"I hope so." Finishing my lunch, I crumble up my trash and throw it in the nearest trashcan. "Alright, I gotta get back to work. I'm leaving early today."

"How come?"

"I have to pick up Sofia from camp because Noah has some sort of cold and Arizona has been with him all day."

"Aw, poor kid. Is he okay?"

"Yeah, just a little fever. Arizona has been pushing him fluids all day. He should be better tomorrow."

"While you go home to a fever I'm going home to a bottle of tequila. Derek is watching a patient over night so Karev, Wilson, and whoever else we can dig up are coming over for pizza and drinks."

"Sounds fun. Take a shot for me."

"Oh don't worry, I will."

The next few hours go by quickly and soon I'm out the automatic doors of the hospital and on my way to pick up my daughter. I arrive to her class a little early and am able to stand in the back and watch her finish up her class.

"Which one is yours?" A woman asks leaning over to me.

"The one on the right with the French braid. Sofia."

"Oh she's just wonderful. I get here about ten minutes early everyday and I can't help but notice how talented she is."

Thank you. She practices all the time."

"I know what you mean. My daughter Harper," She point to a young girl with auburn hair a few kids away from Sofia, "thinks our basement is her personal dance studio." Moving a few steps closer to me, she extends her hand. "I'm Karen by the way."

"Callie." I reply accepting her handshake.

"It's great to finally meet you Callie. I always see that babysitter of yours here on time everyday with that cute little boy. Is he yours too?"

"Uh yeah, but I think you might be mistaken. Our babysitter doesn't pick up Sofia." Emma rarely picks up the kids from any activity.

"The blonde women? She's a little shorter than you and has a shoulder length hair cut. You have to tell me where you found her. I've been looking for a babysitter, especially with the school year coming up again. Getting off work this early isn't always easy for my husband and I."

"The woman you're referring to is my wife, Arizona." I reply assertively to make sure she understands without attacking her. It was probably an honest mistake, although it still kind of stings to hear someone refer to the mother of children as their babysitter.

"Oh my gosh I'm so sorry." Karen apologetically replies. "That didn't even cross my mind. I guess I just assumed. I mean Sofia looks so much like you and your wife has blonde hair, I guess I was too single minded to think about anything else beside physical features. I mean there are many ways to have a family these days." She looks absolutely mortified and embarrassed for herself. "I'm so sorry, Callie. Your wife seems very lovely."

"She's great and it's okay. Thank you for apologizing though."

"Of course, of course."

"And if you're still in the market for a babysitter I can ask the one we use. She's a high school student, but she's great and usually always available. I'm sure she has some friends who are looking for a side job."

"Oh that would be great. Thank you so much."

"Not a problem." I notice Sofia walking towards me as she giggles with Harper.

"Mama, you're here!" She excitedly greets me.

"I told you I would be! You ready to go?" I ask taking her small bag from her.

"Yep! Bye Harper!" She waves to her friend. "See you tomorrow."

"Bye Sofia." Harper calls back. With a final wave to her friend and Karen we leave the building and head for my car.

"How was camp today?"

"Really good, mama. I learned a new move today." She answers as I navigate the streets of Seattle and take us home.

"That's great, Sof. Maybe you can show me later tonight."

"Yeah. Is Noah better?"

"I'm not sure. I hope so. Remember to wash your hands so you don't get his cold."

"Ew he's got boy germs." Looking in the rearview I notice she's scrunched up her face in the cutest way possible.

"Always remember that. Boys have gross germs."

"Boys are gross, 'cept for Noah. He's not gross, just sick."

"Right, cause he's your brother and you love him very much."

"I do. I love him like I love you and mommy." She sweetly affirms. The rest of the ride home she tells me about her day and some drama with Megan not sharing her cupcake with Taylor at lunch.

"Mommy I'm home!" Our daughter boastfully announces as we walk inside our home and into the living where Arizona is watching television. "Can I have my snack now?"

"Well hello to you too, Sof. Your snack is on the living room table." Sofia goes into the other room while I crash on the couch and lean back into my wife's body.

"How was your day? Did you come up with the latest medical breakthrough?"

"Nope, but I'll try again tomorrow. Noah?"

"Sleeping. He's fever hasn't broken yet."

"I'll check on him when he wakes up. You wanna hear a crazy story?" I ask sitting up.

"Lay it on me, baby."

"This lady a Sof's camp, Karen—"

"I think she's Harper's mother."

"Yeah, she is, anyway we were chatting and she thought you were Sof's babysitter."

"Wait, really?"

"Yeah, she didn't mean any harm or anything, and as soon as I told her you were my wife and Sofia's other mother she apologized profusely."

"Well that's nice of her. Seems like a nice enough lady." Arizona comments shrugging her shoulders before returning her attention to the program on the screen.

"That's it? You aren't a little bit irked or annoyed. I was slightly upset."

"I mean of course I'm a little annoyed, but it's not the first time that's happened and it probably will happen a couple more times over as the kids continue to grow up."

"It's happened before? Why didn't you tell me?" A few times when we first started dating we got looks, but after a while I just became so in love with Arizona I didn't care about anything.

"It happened once when Sof was a baby and we were out and I told you then. Every now and then when it's only me, Sof and Noah out I get looks or stares. As long as no one says anything directly to the kids I don't pay it any mind. It's not a big deal to me. I don't really care what people think of me. Growing up gay in a relatively small town forces you to build a tough skin. I know I'm their mother and the kids do, so that's all that matters."

"I'm sorry, Arizona."

"It's not your fault, Calliope. It's the optics. Sometimes people only see what they want to. If they looked closely they would notice Noah and I have identical eyes, shape and color. It's quick and easy to makes assumptions; I mean I've made them before. It's almost human nature. Doesn't make it right, but it is what it is. We just have to make sure to teach our kids to be open minded and not judge a book by its cover."

"I just felt uncomfortable with her calling you Sofia's babysitter. I didn't like it."

"Well at least she wasn't a raging homophobe and cursed you out. That would've been an issue."

"She would've been met with a not-so-polite Callie Torres."

"I'd pay to see you verbally take down all the homophobic people in the city."

"Don't worry, you'd get a front row seat."

"Seriously though Callie. Don't stress over it. I'm good and the kids are too innocent to notice anything. Our children are beautiful and I wouldn't change a thing. We have other things to worry about."

"Like what?"

"Like what you're cooking for dinner tonight."

"Oh, so I'm cooking again tonight?" I reply playfully and leaning back into her embrace. "Alright, so what's on the menu?"

"You're the chef, you've got to create the menu and food."

"Mommy can I play on my iPad now?" Sofia asks coming back into the after finishing her snack.

"Sure, but not for long. Also what do you want for dinner?"

"Ice cre—"

"Besides ice cream." Arizona interrupts. Our daughter never misses the opportunity to ask for her favorite treat. She pouts for a few seconds before deciding on another option.

"Spaghetti."

"Spaghetti, I can work with that." I tell myself. "Thanks sweetie, you can go play now." She scampers off without another word and Arizona and I continue to chat and watch some programs on television for a few more minutes. After checking on Noah again, it seems his fever has went down a little, but he's not totally clear yet. He wasn't hungry, so we set him up with a movie in the living room while Arizona, Sof and I ate dinner. Soon it was bath and bedtime for the kids followed by my wife and I both turning in a little early for the evening.

"I'll probably get up in the middle of the night to check his temperature once again, but hopefully it should break before morning."

"I hope so." Arizona says setting into bed and under the covers. "I have a morning meeting tomorrow at the school that I really can't miss."

"It's fine. I can take off and watch him if need be."

"Really? You hardly take off from work. We could always ask Emma." Patting the space next to her, she signals for me to join her in bed, which I readily do.

"She's out of town on a family vacation, besides I can just be on call. Or I could take him in with me and get him checked into the Peds ward for the day. He should be fine in the morning though."

"Okay, but we still have no babysitter."

"Huh, you're right. I guess I can drop him in daycare in the morning and once you're done with you meeting you can pick him up."

"Look at that, problem solved. And they said parenting wasn't easy." She says, making us both laugh.

"Oh I meant to ask you something." I start, switching topics. "I, well we, got invited to Jordan's wedding."

"Really?" She questions incredulously.

"Yeah, she gave me the invitation today."

"Huh, a little odd don't you think?"

"Maybe I guess. Do you wanna go?"

"Do I wanna go?" My wife answers sarcastically. "Uh no, I have no interest in attending your ex-girlfriend-almost-fiancée's wedding."

"Okay…" I'm a little hesitant of what to say next.

"Do you want to go?"

"I don't know. I mean it'd be nice to hang out with the hospital people in a social setting. Besides weddings are nice and people are happy and in love. Jordan and I are okay now."

"That's great for you guys and I'm sure it makes working together a hell of a lot easier, but I'm not going." She states strongly. "I'm not going to say you can't go, but I would hope you wouldn't."

"If you don't want to go then I won't go. I especially don't want to go without you."

"Then it's decided. We're not going. Can you do me a favor?"

"Sure."

"Can you just not mention her again? I don't like her. She's shady and done some shitty stuff in the past. I'm glad you guys worked everything out, but I have no reason to."

"Okay, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to upset you, babe."

"You didn't upset me, I'm just over her. We dealt with her when we had to and that's that."

"I promise I won't ever bring up her name again."

"Thank you." She plants a kiss on my lips and we aimlessly talk for the rest of the night until we fall asleep.

"You look like you could use a cup of coffee." Grey greets me with a hot cup of java as we walk to the lab together.

"It was a rough morning. I had to drop Sofia off this morning and we were late because she couldn't find her favorite leotard. She has to many of them and half of them look exactly the same."

"I don't know how you do it. Sometimes I think about having a bunch of kids, but then I remember I like my peace and quiet."

"Yeah, yeah. Just wait. You and Derek are going to have a bunch of McDreamy kids with perfect hair someday."

"We'll see. How's Noah?"

"Better. In daycare for a little bit. Arizona has a busy morning."

"That's good. So how did that wedding convo go last night?"

"Wasn't much of a conversation. We're not going."

"Seriously?"

"Yeah and I can respect that. It's not like I'm dying to go." Walking into the lab, we take our usually sets across from each other. "She told me not to mention her again either."

"Damn. Something must've really gone down between those two."

"Look if my wife doesn't want me to mention her again I won't. It wasn't a hard decision. End of story."

"Got it. I understand where she's coming from. Before Derek and I were together he slept with that nurse Rosemarie. Every time I see them working together it makes me skin itch a little. It was a one time deal and I'm pretty she's just had a kid a few months ago, but I still don't like it."

"Really? Derek and Rosemarie? Never would've thought."

"Shut it, Torres." She playfully throws a napkin at me making me shut up. "Anyway, I've got surgery in twenty. Meet you for lunch?"

"Yep. Just text me."

In the blink of an eye, the morning is over and my stomach is growling for lunch. Just as I'm about to text Meredith my beeper goes off and I'm being paged upstairs.

"Hey, I was paged up here." I tell the receptionist.

"Of course, Doctor Torres. I'll let Doctor Caplan know." She picks up the phone and lets me know its okay to for me to head into his office.

"Callie! Welcome. Have a seat."

"Thank you." I saw sitting down in front of his desk. "I thought we were meeting next week? We were supposed to start my next round of hormones earlier, but I've been super busy."

"Don't worry about it. I completely understand." Putting on his glasses, he opens a chart and reads a few papers before closing it again and looking at me. "As you know, we took your blood work last week just to make sure everything is okay and so I could prepare your next round."

"And? I really have been eating healthier and going on walks with the kids. I feel great. I mean I've had some off days, but I guess that's just life." I say trying to convince myself that I'm perfectly healthy.

"You're fine, Callie."

"Oh okay. You scared me there for a second, Doc." I say letting out a huge sigh of relief. "So what is it?"

"You're pregnant." I think I blacked out for five seconds after he said the word 'pregnant' because that was absolutely the last thing I thought he would say.

"You're fucking with me aren't you?" He chuckles at my failure to censor myself and shakes his head no.

"I'm completely serious, Doctor Torres. You should be about five and half to six weeks."

"I-I took a test." I guess I should've taken more than one. "I've had no morning sickness, no tenderness in my breasts, nothing."

"False negative. It happens. Sometimes people go weeks without any signs."

"Can I see the papers?" He laughs at my antics and passes me my folder. I don't doubt him; I just have to see it for myself. As I'm reading everything I start to remember I did miss my period last month, but I just I figured it was due to stress or something. Maybe it was just really late.

"So no need for hormones, but I would like for you to come back next week so we can do a proper ultrasound." It's still taking some time for me to digest everything, but I just nod up and down and hand him his papers back.

"Congratulations, you're having a baby." Now the question is, how am I going to tell my wife?

 **Thanks for reading! And as usual thanks to musicforsoul for helping me out.**


	10. Chapter 10

I don't own anything…all credit goes to ABC/Shondaland

 **Hope you enjoy!**

Chapter Ten

Arizona's POV

"I'm sorry I'm a little late. Lost track of time." A little out of breath, I walk into Callie's exam room where she is waiting patiently on the patient bed. "Have you been here long?"

"Nope." She grins while swaying her feet over the edge. "Just a few minutes."

"Good. How are you feeling?" I ask stepping between her legs and resting my hands on the restless thighs.

"Better now that you're here." Circling her arms around my waist, she leans up to capture our lips in a passionate lip-lock. "Mmm, I've missed you today."

"Yeah?"

"Mmhmm. I've been thinking about you all day."

"While I'm deeply flattered, shouldn't your focus be on your patients and the lab work you've been doing?"

"Yeah, but you're way more interesting to think about." Grinning seductively, she pulls be in for another kiss and I feel her grip around my waist tighten on me. Ever since she told me the good news a few days ago we've been in a little love bubble. More touches and glances with each other. It seems like we're always touching and stealing little kisses.

She's pregnant and we're having another baby!

Every time I think about it I get more excited. A new bundle of joy is coming into our family in a couple months and I'm absolutely thrilled. I can't believe it. I was prepared to go through another round of hormones and tests. The possibility of trying a different method even creped into my mind. But then she came home, acted completely normal and then surprised me that night with the good news.

 _A few days ago…_

 _"They are both sound asleep." Callie says coming into my home office and taking a seat on the couch._

 _"Oh good. I would've helped out tonight with bath and bed time, but I have to get this budget report for my department in for the upcoming school year and I've been putting it off."_

 _"It's okay. I totally understand. Are you almost done?"_

 _"Yep!" I say emphatically closing my laptop. "It's still pretty early. Wanna grab a bottle of wine and watch some television in the basement?"_

 _"Actually—"_

 _"Or we could have a ice cream date! We haven't done that in a while." I can tell by the look on her face that she's contemplating something and is struggling to say something._

 _"Or we could talk? Are you okay, Calliope?" Moving from my desk seat, I join her on the couch and wait her for her to say something. "Baby, what's going on?"_

 _"Come with me." Quickly standing up from her seat, she offers a hand for me to take. "Come on." She urges with a grin. Taking her hand and following her out the room, she leads us down the hallway to a guestroom._

 _"I like this room."_

 _"Uh, me too. What's going on?" I ask looking around._

 _"You did a great job decorating it." It's a pretty simple room. A king bed with night stands, a dresser drawer, a few decorations on the peach colored walls, two chairs with some cute decorative throw pillows. It's not much, but it's an extra room for our friends and family to stay in._

 _"Thank you, but why are we in here? We have a perfectly good room for ourselves." I'm starting to get confused and my wife isn't helping me by acting a little strange._

 _"This could've been Sof's room or Noah's room. Maybe your office or a small workout room. Lots of possibilities." She comments while looking all around. Just as I'm about to question her again she pulls a folded piece of paper out of her jean back pocket. "Here."_

 _Taking the paper, I give her a curious look, "What is it?"_

 _"Just read it. If it doesn't make sense just let me know."_

 _"Okay…" Hesitantly opening the paper, I scan my eyes over the document and I automatically notice it's from the hospital. "I'm not quite sure what I'm looking at. Are you okay?" Glazing over the numbers and letters I'm notice a few familiar things, but most of this seems complicated._

 _"Well…" She starts, biting her lip in anticipation. "Notice anything?"_

 _"Um, not really. Well – wait. Hold on." Looking over the document the words 'human chorionic gonadotropin' stand out. She has HCG and a lot of it. High HCG levels usually only means one thing._

 _"Calliope, what are you saying?" I think I know what this means, actually I'm very positive I know what this means, but I'm just waiting for her to say it._

 _"Can you open that?" She asks pointing to a specific drawer behind me._

 _"Callie…"_

 _"Just open it!" She's nearly bursting at the seams with excitement, but is trying to contain herself. Taking her direction, I move back towards the drawer and slowly open it. I gasp at the sight of a bright yellow oneise that reads "I'm the cutest baby ever!" Lifting it up, I notice two pregnancy tests underneath it that both read "PREGNANT"._

 _"Calliope, you're…"_

 _"We're having another baby!" She excitedly announces, nearly bursting with joy. "I'm pregnant. I just found out today!" Putting down the items, I hurriedly close the short gap between us engulf her in a huge hug. "I love you so much, Arizona."_

 _"God, I love you too, Calliope. So so much, baby." Stepping back, she wipes away a tear that I didn't even know I had. "This is happening?!"_

 _"This is totally happening!" Dropping to my knees, I immediately become face to face with her stomach. Grabbing her hips and pulling her close, I glance up at my beautiful wife and notice she's chuckling at my antics before peppering kisses across her stomach over her t-shirt._

 _"Hi baby." I whisper. "I'm your mommy and I already love you so much."_

 _"We both do." Callie says looking down at me._

 _"She's right. We both love you already so much." Lifting up her shirt, I kiss her stomach again multiple times making sure not to miss a spot. "You've already got a great big sister and big brother who will love you too. You've got lots of love, little one."_

 _"Get up here so I can kiss you." My wife sexily demands. In a flash I'm up on my two feet again and pulling her in for a searing kiss. Once air becomes a necessity, we part and she takes a seat on the bed. I grab the pregnancy tests and oneise from the dresser and join her._

 _"So tell me everything." I ask, taking one of her hands in mine and interlocking our fingers. "I thought you were starting your next round soon."_

 _"Me too. Doctor Caplan paged me today and told me. He thinks I'm about six weeks, which makes perfect sense."_

 _"Wow._

 _"I know. I didn't believe him when he said it. I don't think it really hit me until I saw your reaction."_

 _"We have an ultrasound appointment in a few days. It won't be much yet, but it's something."_

 _"It's everything, Calliope. We're having another baby! Just imagine when we tell the kids…oh gosh, my mother! She's going to be thrilled. Tim and my dad too. Everyone. Aria is going to be ecstatic and I know your dad will be too."_

 _"How are going to decorate this room?"_

 _"We've got about seven and a half months to plan."_

 _"Very true. I still haven't noticed any signs or anything."_

 _"Don't jinx yourself. Morning sickness is no fun."_

 _"We need a name."_

 _"Babe, I think we have some time. We don't even know if it's a boy or girl."_

 _"No, no I mean a pet name. Noah was our nugget. What are we going to call this one?" We both take some time to think about it, but then I settle for something simple._

 _"I like 'little one'. How's our little one? Is our little one hungry? Is our little one keeping you up?" I try out different phrases to test it out. "It kind of goes with everything."_

 _"Little one. I like it. It works."_

 _"I love you." Lifting our intertwined hand, I kiss the back of it and kiss her lips once more. "You're having my baby."_

 _"I'm having your baby." She beams back at me. "Our baby."_

A knock on the door makes us separate as Doctor Caplan comes in. "Ladies, how are we this afternoon?"

"Very happy." I answer as I take my stance next to Calliope and hold one of her hands. "And very grateful."

"That's good to hear. I'm happy for both of you. Let's get started, shall we?"

"Ready when you are, Doc." Callie says fully situating herself on her back on the bed. He goes over his routine stuff and soon it's time for my favorite part, the ultrasound.

"Now it's a little early to hear the heartbeat, but you should be able to see a little pulsing dot on the screen." Setting up the machine, Callie lifts up her shirt and gel is applied to her stomach. He starts moving the wand over her abdomen and sure enough I see a little dot on the screen.

"There is your baby." He states and presses some buttons on the screen to enlarge the picture. "You're right at six weeks. You can't see much, but most of the internal organs are beginning to form."

"You make me so happy, Calliope. Everyday. I love you." I whisper into my wife's ear. She returns with a smile and quick kiss to the lips.

"How have you been feeling lately?"

"Actually the morning after I told Arizona the news I had some horrible morning sickness. I was in the bathroom pretty much all morning." It's very often that I feel myself helpless, but seeing my wife in so much distress and knowing that I couldn't do much really bothered me. I tried everything, crackers and Gatorade, but nothing was working. She had to go into work late because every time she felt okay, she had to throw up again. "I'm still having it, but not as bad."

"Okay, well six weeks sounds about right. That's usually when it kicks it. If it's every too bad or lasting too long, you should come in and get checked out. It's important that you really listen to your body during all of this. I know we have check ups, but anything unusual I want you to tell me. Even if you think it's minuscule. We have lots of things to factor in: your age, you're past pregnancy history, and your overall health history. We just want to make sure we're ahead of everything so in seven and a half months you deliver a happy and healthy baby."

"That's exactly what we want." I say echoing his remarks.

"Good. We're pretty much done here. I'm going to give you a prescription so you can pick up your prenatal vitamins and make sure to make another important at the front. I'll print out a few pictures and then you'll be good to go.

"Thank you, Doctor Caplan." He passes me a small towel and I help wipe the ultrasound gel off of my wife's abdomen. Callie accepts the ultrasound picture before he exits the room.

"It's so blurry I can barely seen anything." She says scrunching her face at the fuzzy picture.

"Well we saw our little one on the screen, so that's all the matters."

"You're right." Callie gets off the patient bed and adjusts her clothes once more. "So where should we take Sof tonight after her recital?"

"I was thinking we'd like her decide." Every few weeks, the kids at Sof's camp have a dance recital to show friends and family what they've been learning during the time at camp. "Which probably means we'll end up going to a pizza restaurant."

"That's fine. I have some more work to do, but I'll meet you and Noah over there later."

"Sounds good, babe." After I gather my bag and car keys, I give Callie and kiss goodbye that doesn't last too long because her pager interrupts us.

"It's the pit." She says looking at her device. "Now I really have to go."

"Okay. I'll walk out with you."

"Torres, part of four!" A young hostess calls outs during a busy dinner crowd.

"Yep, that's us!" I answer acknowledging her. "Come on, guys. Let's go sit down." We follow the young man as he leads us to our table.

"Here you go." He says ushering us into our booth, fit with a booster seat for Noah. "Your waiter will be right out. Enjoy!"

"Thank you!" Sofia says as he gives our daughter and son a paper menu with crayons to color on. Callie helps Noah get settled in his seat before joining me on our side of the table.

"So, do you all know what you want to eat?" My wife asks as she opens her menu and starts perusing the food options.

"I want a cheese pizza. Oh and lemonade, please." Sofia answers without even looking up from her crayons and paper.

"Okay, what about you Noah?"

"I don't want pizza." He states firmly.

"It's a pizza place. You have to eat pizza, Noah." Sofia answers rather sassily.

"No I don't."

"Yes you do."

"No!" He replies, clearly getting visibly upset.

"He doesn't have to eat pizza, Sofia." I interject before things get too out of hand. They don't argue or disagree much, but when they do it becomes increasingly annoying and frustrating. "Pass me your menu, bud." He slides his menu over to me and it has the basic kid options. Pizza, mac and cheese, spaghetti, chicken tenders, grilled cheese. "They've got your favorite, Noah. Chicken tenders and French fries. Does that sound good?"

"Yeah!" He says nodding his head up and down. "Can I get chocolate milk?"

"Of course you can." I return his coloring paper to him and he seems thoroughly satisfied while Sofia looks annoyed.

"Now what's wrong with you?" Callie asks our daughter.

"Nothing." She mumbles to herself.

"Sof, I don't know why you have a pout on your face, but there's no reason for it. Your getting what you want and so is your brother. We're all here tonight celebrating your performance, okay?"

"Okay."

"Do you want to see what I recorded?" Callie asks pulling out her phone.

"Yes please."

"Here." She passes her phone over to Sofia and she happily accepts it. There's no doubt our daughter loves to watch herself on camera. Whether it be a dance recital or her splashing around in the bathtub.

"So what are you thinking about getting?" I question my wife, as our kids are distracted.

"I'm starving so I think I'm going to go big. I want a meat lovers pizza."

"Mhmm, that does sound good. Let's share one of those and get a large salad for the table."

"Well that was easy enough." Closing her menu, she returns it to the table and gives my thigh a little squeeze underneath the table and leans in for a kiss. "Love you."

"I love you too, babe."

"Good evening, are you guys ready to order?" Our waiter asks coming over to our table.

"Nuggets and chocolate milk please!" Noah eagerly answers.

"He'll have the chicken tenders and fries with chocolate milk, our daughter will have a kids cheese pizza and lemonade, and we're going to share a large meat lovers pizza and a large Caesar salad for the table." Callie tells our waiter.

"Sounds good. Any drinks for you two?"

"I'll just have water, please." I answer.

"Yeah and I'll take a ginger ale, please."

"Great. I'll get those orders in right away and have your drinks out soon."

"Thank you."

"Here mama." Sofia returns her phone to Callie. " Did you send it to daddy?"

"Yep, he said you did a great job and he'll talk to you later."

"Am I going to see him this summer?"

"Of course you will. I've been talking with him a little and he's talking about coming here for two weeks and you stay with him at his place."

"Will I still go to camp?"

"Yep! I told him you didn't want to miss camp and leave your friends, so he's taking two full weeks off and is going to take you to camp, out to dinner, the movies, and anything else you want to do with your dad."

"I wanna go to the movies." Noah pleads.

"We can go to the movies too." I answer trying to ease his concern. "But Sof is going to spend some time with her dad."

"Okay." He answers nonchalantly as our waiter comes back with out drinks.

"Do you think the ginger ale is helping to settle your stomach?"

"I surely hope so. I'm tired of drinking Gatorade." As we continue to wait for our dinner, Callie plays a game of tic-tac-toe with Noah and I help Sofia with a crossword puzzle. During all of this, we continue to have some sort of contact with each other as we have been over the last few days. Once our food arrives we all turn our attention to that and enjoy a nice family dinner. Who knows how many more of these will have left as just the four of us. After the bill is paid and we return home, the kids are bathed and instead of going straight to bed we decide to have a movie night in our bedroom. Sofia and Noah each bring their favorite blankets and stuffed animals and make themselves comfortable in the middle of the bed.

"So what are we watching?" Coming out of the bathroom, Callie joins us in bed and under the covers.

"How about we let Noah pick since Sof got to pick the restaurant."

"But I want to watch Frozen!" Sofia states. "It's my favorite."

"Sof, we've seen that a bunch of times." Calliope objects. We've both become pretty tired of Frozen. It's great the first few times, but after a while the songs get annoying and the plot is basically memorized. "Noah, what do you want to watch?"

"Zootopia!" He announces while jumping up and down on the bed. Sofia joins him and they start giggling and laughing with each other. Callie and I just look at each other with smiling faces and savoring cute moments like these.

"Okay, okay, we can watch Zootopia once you guys settle down." That quickly gets them to calm down and resituate themselves.

"Movie time!" Sofia chirps. We turn off all the lights in the room to give it a more theatrical feel and Sof and Noah cuddle up on the edge of the bed, while Callie and I lean up against the headboard.

"You know we could've just watched this in the basement." My wife whispers to me.

"True, but it's more comfortable up here in bed. Plus, this way I can cop a couple feels under the covers since you're so close."

"Well that makes two of us." Callie winks at me.

 **Thanks for reading and thanks to musicforsoul for helping me out as usual!**

 **AN: Also, thanks for all the reviews/comments. I haven't gotten a chance to reply to all of them yet, but I see them and I thank you for taking the time to write them.**


	11. Chapter 11

I don't own anything…all credit goes to ABC/Shondaland.

 **A little longer chapter than usual…I hope you enjoy!**

Chapter Eleven

Callie's POV

"Well that was fun." My wife says still a little breathless. "I think that's the most fun I've had before seven in the morning in a long time." She jokes.

"Mhmmm." I mumble against her skin as I trail kisses from her lower abdomen all the way up to her chest. "Me too." I'm not sure exactly what happened, but we both ended up discarding our pajamas and having our way with each other this morning in bed. Despite the early hour, neither of us complained as we enjoyed a pleasurable impromptu round of morning loving.

"Hi." She smirks at me once we're face to face again. She pushes a few strands that fell in front of my face to the side and pulls the covers over us, keeping our little love bubble intact.

"Hi yourself, Ari." As I rest my upper body weight on my forearms on each side of her, I connect our lips in a very satisfying kiss. Our mouths instinctively part and she slips her tongue into mine while simultaneously wrapping her legs around my waist and pulling our naked bodies closer together. Once we part for air I attach my lips to neck needing to kiss and love more of her this morning.

"Baby, don't leave any marks. I'm too old for to be walking around with a high school hickey on my neck."

"I can't help it if I want to kiss every inch of you all the time." I seductively reply moving to the other side. "I guess I shouldn't mention the like marks I left on your inner thighs then, huh? I may have gotten a little carried away."

"Oh I don't mind marks down there. I like to think of it as little reminders of how very talented you are down there."

"I learn from the best, babe." I say returning my gaze to her blue eyes. "Which is by far you."

"Yay me." She giggles to herself, which in turn makes me laugh as well.

"I love you so much it's ridiculous, Ari."

"I love you too, Calliope." She replies with pure devotion and love. It's little moments like these that I love so much. Even with the dark clouds of rain pouring outside, our kids fast asleep down the hall, and the other countless duties and responsibilities we have to do today. When it's just Arizona and me. Lover to lover and wife to wife, it's almost as if nothing else matters. We escape the world together for just a few minutes and everything seems perfect.

"Callie?"

"Sorry, I just—"

"You okay? I lost you there for a minute." My wife says with a hint of concern in her voice. "You feeling alright?"

"I'm feeling fine. I was just thinking about you. About how much I love you and really, really want to kiss you."

"You better put those thoughts into action then." She quips before her pink lips connect with mine once more. Her legs tighten around me once more as one of her hands becomes entangled in my hair. A few small moans escape our lips as I grind the lower half of my body down on her for some much needed pleasurable relief. As our kiss intensifies I roam a hand down along her one of her creamy smooth thighs. Our need for air becomes too great and our kiss ends. The sounds of our ragged breaths fill the room and lock eyes. Having done this countless times before, she gives me a little nod and I snake a hand between our bodies and slide two fingers inside of her. The satisfying feeling of being so intimately together makes us both groan and sigh as I build a steady rhythm within her.

"Yess, Callie. Keep going, baby…just like that." My wife encourages in my ear as she claws at my back and throws her head to the side. Small kisses and words of reassurance and love are said push deeper and deeper into my wife making sure I bring her to the highest peak. Is doesn't take long for her to come as her body quakes and shivers while expletives and devotions of love are exclaimed.

"Give me a second and I'll be more than glad to return the favor." Arizona says eagerly.

"I don't think we'll have time, babe." Just as the words leave my mouth my alarms goes off. I roll off my wife and turn off the alarm coming from my phone on my nightstand. My wife dips under the covers and scoots closer to me. "Ari, as much as I want you right now, I can't."

"Trust me, I'll take care of you later. Right now, I'm saying good morning to our little one." She says kissing my stomach and whispering sweet words.

"Eight weeks and still going strong."

"Are you feeling alright?" She asks coming out from underneath the sheets resting her head on chest.

"Yep, for the most part. They are making me a little tired, but that's to be expected."

"Good, sounds like everything's right on schedule then."

"And I need to be on schedule and make it into work on time." Reluctantly I leave the warm confines of my wife's body and my bed and hop in the shower. Ten minutes later I feel a cool breeze in the hot, steamy bathroom and can make out my wife's silhouette through the foggy glass shower.

"Do you mind taking Sof this morning? Turns our Noah had an accident last night and didn't bother to tell us. I need to clean his bed and sheets and give him a bath."

"Sure, but can you get her dressed?"

"Yeah, I'm working on it." She says before exiting the en suite. I mentally have to rearrange some things and decide to cut this shower short. Looks like I'll be going into work with damp hair as I probably don't have time to dry it thoroughly if I have to drop my daughter off at camp. Another twenty minutes and I'm changed and downstairs making Sofia's lunch.

"Sof, finish your cereal, we've got to get going."

"Mommy takes me to camp."

"I know, but I'm taking you this morning. Can you get your rain boots on a raincoat, please? The ones with the ladybugs on them."

"Okay." Dismissing herself from the kitchen, she heads back up stairs. "Noah has no clothes on!" She yells. Sure enough my son comes into the kitchen only with a pair of underwear on.

"Noah Caleb, where are your clothes, buddy?"

"I dunno. Mommy took them."

"I bet she gave you some new ones to put on, didn't she?" I ask scooping him up in my arms and situating him on my hip. He buries his head in the crook of my neck because he doesn't want to answer. "Hey, can you look at me for a second?" He turns his face and stares at me with his blue eyes. "It's okay that you have an accident in the bed, but you have to come me or mommy right away."

"Kay. Me sorry mama." He says with the sweetest and softest voice that makes me heart melt.

"It's okay, but don't be afraid to tell us." I kiss his forehead and he stays with me as I move around the kitchen getting Sof's stuff ready and my bag packed.

"I'm ready!" Sofia announces with her boots and jacket on.

"That's my girl! Okay, we need to get going. Take your backpack and lunch bag and meet me at the front door." Passing her items off to her, I head down the to the basement with Noah still in tow.

"Arizona?"

"Laundry room!" I put Noah down in one of the seats and turn on some cartoons while I go find my wife.

"Sof and I are heading out. Noah is watching television. Do you need me to pick her up too?" I ask as she stuffs some clothes in the washer and dryer.

"No, I got it."

"Okay, then I'll see you later. Text me if something changes."

"Sounds good. Be safe out there driving. The rain is coming down hard and the roads are slick."

"I know, probably lots of crashes and people coming into the ER."

"Just be careful."

"I will." I give her a peck goodbye and one to Noah on my way out.

"Can we get hot chocolate this morning?" Sof asks I buckle her in.

"I don't think we have time." Sometimes when I'm taking Sofia we'll stop at a Starbucks for a drink. I usually get coffee and always get her a kids hot chocolate.

"Pleaseeee?" She whines as I hop in to the drivers seat and pull out of the driveway.

"We're already running a little late, you don't wanna be late for camp, do you?"

"No." She pouts folding her arms across her chest.

"Hey, how about we call daddy? Wanna talk to him?"

"Okay!" Cheering her up just a tad, I connect my phone to the speakers in the call and dial Mark's number. After a few rings he picks up.

"How's it going, Cal?"

"Good. Sofia wanted to talk to you. Say hi Sof."

"Hi daddy, I miss you."

"Aww, I miss you too kiddo. I have a surprise for you." I knew nothing about a surprise so I'm intrigued just as much.

"What is it?"

"I'm in Seattle!" He announces.

"You're here?! I thought you were coming this weekend?" I ask a little confused.

"I came a few days early so I could get my place cleaned up and get everything ready for our time together. I wasn't going to tell you yet, but since you called I couldn't hold it in any longer. You excited, Sof?"

"Yess!" She beams. "Daddy's home!"

"What do you say I pick her up tonight and take her to dinner? We can bring Noah too. I miss that kid. I've got one of Sofia's old car seats I can strap into my car."

"I'll have to talk to Arizona about it, but—"

"Aww, come on just say yes! I'm sure wifey won't mind."

"Please mama!"

"Okay, okay. How's seven work?"

"Great. I'll be there at 6:45."

"Fine. See you then."

"Perfect. Later Sof, have a good day."

"Bye daddy! Love you."

"Love you too, kid. Bye Cal."

"Bye Mark."

"Daddy's home! Daddy's home! Daddy's home!" Sofia cheers all the way to camp and I make a mental note to text Arizona about the change of plans.

"Whoa, Doctor Torres did you get caught in the rain this morning?" Wilson questions as throw my hair up into a messy bun and walk towards my office. I give her a pointed glare and she changes the topic. "Right, sorry. Um, we have a patient in the pit with a broken arm." Passing me the tablet, I look over the information and scans.

"Looks pretty standard. Can you cast him up?"

"Of course, Doctor Torres."

"Great. Do that, round on my other patients, and check in with the pit I'm sure there will be some stuff for you to do there then come find me."

"Not a problem. Oh, Dr. Grey is in OR three and really wants to see you. Something about a severely damaged foot."

"Okay, I'll check it out. Catch up with me later." Passing off the tablet once again, I head into my office to put down my stuff and head down to the OR."

"Nice to see you out of the lab for once, Torres. "Bailey comments and I scrub in and she scrubs out.

"Yeah, I kina miss having my hands on some bones. How's it looking in there?"

"Grey has got is pretty much under control that you should really look at the foot. It's terrible. A car ran over it. Twice."

"Gosh, that's horrible. I'll see what I can do." Stepping into the OR I'm quickly gowned and gloved by one of the nurses.

"Nice of you to join us this morning, Callie." Meredith greets me. "I promised this guy he'd have a fixed foot when he woke up. Don't tell me I lied." Glancing at the left limb I see just how badly it's injured. It's pretty bad, but I've seen and fixed worse.

"Well?"

"You didn't lie, but you may have stretched the truth just a little."

"Can you fix it?"

"Hell yeah I can fix it. It's just going to take a long time."

"That's fine. I've got a few more hours to go myself. So settle in. I've been meaning to talk to you. Those scans you gave me last week showed a massive tumor. It's inoperable."

"Damnit. Are you serious?"

"Yeah, I wouldn't even wish that on my worst enemy. I'm surprised that person's lived so long already. Who is it anyway?"

"Just someone I know."

"Just a random person from Mexico you know?" Truth be told the scans belong to my grandfather on my moms side. A few weeks ago Aria told me how sick he's gotten. I was completely surprised because I didn't know he was the least bit sick. Of course my mother and I don't talk so she didn't tell me anything. Aria's been playing messenger and keeping me informed. We've had late night phone calls and texts shared between us. I wanted to help in anyway possible so between my dad and my sister, they got the scans from my grandfather's doctors in Mexico and sent them to me for a second opinion here in the States. My mother has no idea about all of this and it's probably for the best since she practically disowned me. My grandfather has lived in Mexico his entire life and when I was younger my family would travel down to see him and my other cousins. I haven't seen him in some years, but he's family and I love him dearly. "I don't mean to pry, Callie. Whoever it is though should get themselves prepared for the worst. I'm talking days. That tumor is just too massive and growing too fast for anyone to do anything."

"It's my grandfather's scans." I confess to her.

"Shit, I'm sorry Callie I had no idea."

"It's okay. When I saw them I thought the same thing, I just didn't want to believe it."

"How old is he?"

"Late eighties. He's been healthy most of life, but a few weeks ago he was rushed to the hospital and they discovered this tumor. My dad's been throwing countless money at the doctors for some solution and to buy him more time, but we all know how this is going to end."

"I wish there was more I could do."

"Me too. I'll call my sister later and let her know. Thanks for taking a look."

"Of course. Hey, if you want we can grab a drink after work and you can tell me all about him."

"As much as that sounds good. I should probably get home. Maybe start going over arrangements with the family." Not to mention I can't drink because I'm pregnant, but she doesn't need to know that yet.

"Right of course. Well if you need anything let me know."

"I need a change of topic. Anything interesting happening in your life?" She takes a moment to process and focus on her patient before her before she finally cracks a little smile.

"So you know how it's raining crazy hard, right? It's been like that all this morning."

"Yeah…" I'm a little confused as so where this is going, but I try and follow.

"Well I woke up at like two in the morning because I heard this dripping sound. Now you know how big my mom's old house is, but I heard this insistent dripping noise and it was pissing me off. I tried to go back to sleep, but I couldn't so I woke up and went downstairs in search of sound. Finally I found water dripping from the ceiling in the kitchen. I wasn't even upset that my house was leaking, I was just happy to shut that stupid sound up. So I temporarily patched it up some duct tape and Derek is going to check it out later." I throw a questioning look at Meredith and returns with a blank stare. "Well you told me to tell you anything." I can't help but to burst out laughing, which in turn makes Grey laugh and the other nurses in the operating room.

"So how was your morning?" She asks as the giggles continue to die down.

"My son peed in his bed." I shrug and Grey starts laughing all over again and soon the room is filled with rambunctious amusement and laughter from everyone.

"Uhh, did I miss something?" Wilson asks stepping into the room.

"Callie's son peed the bed this morning!" Grey recounts. "It's hilarious!"

"Isn't he like four? That's what kids do, right?" She asks hesitantly, nervous to say the wrong thing to her superiors.

"Still it's funny!"

"It's pretty hilarious, Wilson." I say returning my attention to her. She doesn't seem to know what to say so I help her out. "What can I do for you?"

"Oh, I just came to know if I could give his girlfriend an update about the foot."

"Oh yeah, you can tell her I can fix the foot. I'll explain more in detail when I'm done, but it should be okay." She nods in understanding and quickly leaves the room. "I don't think she found it funny."

"She definitely didn't." Meredith recaptures her focus and gets back to the surgery at hand. "That was a good laugh. I needed that."

"I know exactly what you mean." We finish the surgery with casual small talk and soon enough it's time for us to close up. The rest of the day was spent in the emergency room and checking up on some of my past patients in post-op. I decide to leave for the day and have Wilson take over for me for the rest of the evening. I tried to call my sister on the way home to update her, but she didn't answer so I guess I'll try again later.

"How's it going in here?" I ask stepping into my son's room.

"Mama, you home!" He drops his toys and runs over to me. I kneel down and embrace him in a big home.

"I am and I missed you so much today." I ruffle his hair a little and give him a few kisses. "What did you do today?"

"Art with mommy and a hotdog for lunch."

"Yeah? That sounds fun. You know you're going to dinner with Mark tonight."

"I know! Sof tell me. I like Mark."

"That's good cause he likes you too. Why don't you pick out what you want to wear cause he'll be here soon."

"Mmkay." He goes back to his activities and I cross the hall to Sofia's room.

"Hey Sof."

"Hi mama," She greets me looking up from a book. "Is daddy here yet?"

"Nope, not yet but he'll be here soon. Change into what you wanna wear."

"Okay. Will do you my hair?"

"Of course. Where's mommy?"

"I think she's in her room on the phone." I give her a kiss on the head and head down the hall into our bedroom. Like Sofia said, Arizona is on the phone and by the sound of it she's talking to Teddy and is almost done. She acknowledges me with a kiss on the cheek and I change into more comfortable clothes.

"Hey you, how was work?" She asks hanging up the phone.

"It was exhausting as usual, but good. How was everything here?"

"Besides that little mishap this morning, everything else has been good too. I guess it's just the two of us for dinner tonight. I was thinking about ordering in, how's that sound?"

"That's fine with me. Hey, so I have something to tell you."

"Okay, shoot." She replies joining me on the bed. Just as I'm about to tell her about my very sick grandfather Sofia pops in the room.

"Can you do my hair now?"

"Save that thought." I tell Arizona. "Of course, sweetie. Let's go into your room."

"I'll check on Noah." Arizona adds. Another thirty minutes go by before Mark finally arrives. We caught up for a few minutes before they leave for dinner.

"Do you guys have you raincoats?" My wife asks double checking their outfits before they head out the door.

"Yesss mommy." Sofia whines. "Can we go now?"

"Yes we can. I got reservations at one of your favorite places." Mark states much to Sofia and Noah's delight.

"Alright let's get out of here." Mark ushers everyone out the door and I watch as they get into his car.

"Not too late!" I call out before closing the door and returning to the kitchen where my wife is pulling out take out menus. "So what are you in the mood for tonight?"

"Maybe Chinese?"

"I'm down for that. Get some egg rolls, I love those."

"Really? You barely order those. Maybe it's the baby talking. Maybe it's our little one craving those."

"You may be right about that." I say unconsciously placing a hand over my stomach.

"So what did you want to talk to me about?"

"Oh yeah, so you know how I've been having those family phone calls over the last couple of weeks."

"Ahh yes, the mysterious phone calls you always take in Spanish." She comments with a subtle jab. "Look I understand you're talking to your family and it may be easier to talk in Spanish to them, but you can at least fill me in once and a while."

"I know, I know. I'm sorry, but that's what I wanted to talk to you about now."

"Well is everything okay?" She questions with some concern.

"Actually I'm not so sure it is. I think—"

"Hold on a second." The doorbell rings and interrupts me. "Mark probably forgot something. I'll get it." She heads to the front and I take another glance over the take out menu. I hear a familiar voice, but it's definitely not Mark's. It's my sisters.

"Aria, what are you doing here?" I hear my wife ask thoroughly surprised. "I had no idea you were coming. Calliope didn't tell me anything. Babe, did you know your sister was coming?" They both come into the kitchen together with Aria dressed in the finest and most fashion forward clothes. I'm pretty sure the shoes on her feet cost a couple hundred dollars and I can only imagine how much she spent on her handbag. It's no surprise though, Aria's always preferred the finer things in life and to her credit she works hard to afford it. While it's always good to see my sister, I have an idea why she's here in person.

"I didn't." I stand up to give her a hug and offer her a seat next to me. "It's good to see you, sis."

"You too. Where are my niece and nephew? I don't hear their little feet running around."

"Actually you just missed them. Mark is in town and took them out for dinner."

"Well isn't he lucky. He can just swoop in whenever and play dad for a few days while you and Arizona raise his kid. No amount of good looks and money can excuse his absence as a father."

"Seriously Aria we're not going to get into this. It's been years and our little arrangement works fine. Mark is a great dad and all of us are still figuring out this parenting thing, Arizona included."

"Fine." She throws up her hands in surrender and I'm grateful that we can move past that topic.

"I tried calling you earlier. I got someone to look over the scans."

"Scans? What scans?" My wife questions.

"She doesn't know?"

"I was just about to tell her."

"Tell me what?"

"They aren't looking too good. One of our best surgeons looked at them, but there's nothing we can do."

"Callie..." Aria starts softly.

"What isn't looking good? Are you sick again, Calliope?"

"What? No, I'm perfectly fine." I quickly answer easing my wife's worry about my health.

"Wait, what does she mean 'again'? Were you sick and didn't tell me?" Aria asks confused and upset. "What the hell, Callie?"

"Whoa, whoa. Calm down. I wasn't sick, I just had to get checked out and go on some medication – which I'm not even on anyone by the way."

"Why didn't you tell me, Arizona?"

"Me?" My wife looks at me puzzled, but I have nothing to offer.

"Yeah you. You're her wife. You tell me things when Callie doesn't. We both know how secretive she can be at times. I thought I could count on you to at least keep me informed." I can tell my sister isn't really upset, but more worried and a little hurt she was left out. Bottom line I just think she cares.

"Hold on, hold on. Aria, why are you here?"

"Right. About that…" Letting out a dejected sigh she gives me a look that explains everything. Her face says it all.

"He's really gone?"

"Late last night." She confirms and embraces me in a hug. Ever since I first got my grandfathers health information and scans I've been bracing myself for the worst, and hearing Grey say the tumor was inoperable really put everything in perspective. I just didn't think things would turn so fast. "I missed your call was I was on the plane coming over here to tell you in person." Unknowingly a few tears have fallen down me and my sister's faces and Arizona passes up a couple tissues.

"I'm sorry, Arizona. I bet you're really confused right now. This is what I was going to tell you. Our grandfather got sick really fast and I've been talking with Aria and my father trying to see if we could do anything, but Grey told me today there was nothing anyone could do."

"I'm so sorry, Calliope." She says coming over to me and placing a consoling hand on my back.

"When we were younger we took trips to visit him in Mexico." Aria comments. "I don't think I've seen him since undergrad, but I've spoken to him on phone multiple times."

"He did this thing where he'd ask you a question and after you answered he didn't say anything. So I got nervous I said the wrong thing or something so I'd end up changing my answer a bunch of times until he smiled and said 'very good'" I say reminiscing. "He was a quiet man, total opposite of our grandmother. I think that's why they worked."

"Sounds like a special guy." Arizona adds.

"He was." I smile. "Okay, so what's the plan?"

"Right, my second reason for being here. We have a few days to put together the funeral arrangements. Mom and dad are down in Mexico now and sent me everything." She pulls out a folder from her bag and begins checking things off. Early on I learned that our family doesn't really grieve. We shed a few tears, but move on quickly. That's how it's always been growing up. It's not conventional, but it is what it's the Torres way.

"So when are we going down there? Also, mom knows I'm coming right?"

"Dad said he would handle that. I know mom is still being a bitch towards you, but he was your grandfather and of course he would want you there. Anyway, I came here on the company jet so we could fly down tomorrow. Most of the family is headed down tomorrow as well and everyone is staying at the T Hotel. Dad is securing the church. I thought we could go over everything else."

"Sure. We were about to order some food anyway."

"Good, do you have some wine or preferably anything stronger?"

"Uh yeah, check the basement." She excuses herself while I go over the contents of the folder.

"Callie, are you okay? Do you want to talk about it?" Arizona asks taking my sisters empty seat. "You just got some heavy news."

"I'll be okay. We need to start planning stuff. I should only be gone four or five days. Crap, I didn't even ask. Are you okay with watching Sofia and Noah? I don't really want them coming down for this. It'll be sad and probably a little stressful, not to mention my mother and some of her side of the family isn't very welcoming to our 'liberal ways' as she likes to put it."

"Of course I don't mind watching them, but I want to go with you."

"You don't have to do that. Besides, who's gonna watch the kids?"

"Mark could handle Sof, I'm sure he'd love the extra time and I can book a flight for my mom to come up tomorrow and watch Noah. She wouldn't mind besides it's a family emergency."

"Arizona, that's a lot to ask of your mother on short notice."

"I'm telling you it'll be okay. Besides, it's not really a discussion. I'm coming with you." She states firmly. "You just lost your grandfather you're going to need some support. Even if I'm just there to hold your hand or be a shoulder to cry on. I'm going to be there for you. I'm not scared of your mom or anyone. Whatever they have to say they can say it to my face in person. Either way this isn't about me or you, it's about your grandfather. I didn't have the pleasure of meeting the guy, but he was obviously special to you and your family so I would at least like so pay my respects."

"Okay."

"Okay." She copies. "I'm going to call my mom, make her arrangements, and order dinner."

"Thank you." Taking her hand, I pull her close to me. "Thanks for everything."

"You don't have to thank me, but of course. I'll be right back." She gives me a kiss and escapes upstairs.

"Found the tequila!" Aria rejoices rejoining me. "Want some?"

"Nah, I'm good."

"Oh well. More for me." She raises her shot glass to the ceiling before throwing back the liquor and clenching her eyes. "Let's get started. We should pick out a few prayers and flowers for the ceremony."

 **Thanks for reading! And thanks to musicforsoul for helping me out.**


	12. Chapter 12

I don't own anything…all credit goes to ABC/Shondaland.

 **AN: sorry for the long delay. I kept staring at a blank screen and didn't know what to write. I finally got some motivation/ideas. Hope you enjoy!**

Chapter Twelve

Arizona's POV

The past few hours have been a complete whirlwind. Aria came in town and told Callie the sad news about their grandfather passing. They already started on most of the preparations for the funeral while I got packed some clothes for us and booked my mother on the earliest flight out to Seattle. Of course she was more than understanding of the situation and agreed to watch Noah for a few days. Both Sofia and Noah were surprised to see their aunt at home when they came back from dinner, but were sad when they learned it was only a short visit. She promised to be back soon and I hope she does keep that promise and come back for a few days. We didn't tell them that we were going to a funeral, but instead we told them we had to go out of town for a quick trip with Aria. Like Callie and I suspected, Sofia and Mark were thrilled to spend a few extra days together and Noah was happy that his grandmother was going to look after him for a little bit. We promised to call and check in with them whenever possible. As soon as my mother arrived the next morning, Callie, Aria and myself headed to the airport and took off for Acapulco, Mexico.

"So we land shorty. I was thinking we head to the hotel, get checked in, and then meet up with mom and dad to go over some details. After that is a family dinner at the hotel. Most of the family from out of town is traveling in today as well"

"Yeah, that sounds fine." Callie says looking to me. I give her a nod in agreement to let her know I'm on board. During most of the flight Callie and Aria were making some more decisions about the funeral program and reminiscing about their grandfather. I listened in and gave my input when needed, but I never had the pleasure of meeting the man so I let the sisters handle everything. I tried to get some sleep. One of the many perks of flying private are the plush comfortable chairs. Way better than commercial flights. Not to mention the abundance of food and movie selections on board.

"So when does school start for my little niece and nephew?" Aria asks trying to make small talk as we descend into Mexico.

"Actually pretty soon. We just got Noah's uniform the other day and he looks so handsome in it." Callie replies. "I can't believe Sof is already in first grade. She's going to start getting little assignments for homework and stuff."

"That's crazy. I want all the school pictures. You should go to all the parent meetings and be really involved in stuff. Mom never did that for us and I was always jealous of the other kids that always had their parents around. Dad was always working and mom was busy planning some charity event or something."

"I mean I try, but a lot of the stuff is during work hours for me."

"Well what about you, Arizona? You could be the snack mom or something."

"She has a job too, ya know." Callie interjects with some annoyance before I can say anything. "She has a department to run, teachers to oversee, and students to teach. We can't just pop up at the school with cookies everyday." Aria is visibly taken back by her tone.

"That's not what I'm saying, I just wish mom was more involved with us when we were younger. You should—"

"You know I rather not take parenting advice from you. Especially being that you aren't even a parent yourself." Calliope quickly fire backs.

"Calliope…" I interject.

"No, it's fine Arizona. I don't know where this attitude came from, but I'll let it slide this time." My wife lets out a loud huff, which earns a glare from me, but she just puts in her ear buds and listens to some music for the rest of the flight. Once we land we're shuttled away in black SUVs to the hotel. As usual, we're greeted with the best service and are quickly given our room assignments.

"So what was that little spat about on the plane?" We take a seat on opposite ends of the couch and she puts her feet in my lap.

"I don't know. I was just annoyed with her giving me parenting advice. I may have snapped."

"Yeah, you totally did."

"I know. I'll apologize later. I think it's the hormones, if not that's what I'm going to blame it on. I was always irritated during my first trimester with Sofia. The smallest thing would piss me off sometimes." I take that as a mental note for myself to be aware of during these first few weeks.

"I think she'll appreciate that. I noticed you haven't eaten much since last night. Do you want to grab a quick bite?"

"Nah, I'm not that hungry. Besides we're getting dinner soon."

"I know, but you should eat something. If not for you then the baby."

"I'm seriously okay."

"Please Callie?" I throw in a little pout for added effect and her face cracks into that beautiful smile that I love.

"Anything for you babe." She boasts while digging into her bag for some crackers to snack on.

"I love it when I get my way." I tease playfully. "Look at our view! We're right on the beach. Getting up and walking over to the window, I open the double doors to the large balcony and soak in the warm sun and the sounds of the ocean. Looking down, I see people in bathing suits and kids building sand castles.

"Great, right?" Callie asks joining me outside. "I love it here. This is probably one of my favorite hotel locations."

"We should come back with the kids. I'm sure they would love it. Not to mention all the sight seeing. I know we probably won't be able to do much of it during this trip, but I'd love to look around."

"I promise we'll come back. Maybe we can come for our anniversary one year." Coming up behind me, she lightly wraps her arms around me and lays a kiss on my cheek.

"That'd be nice, but not this year. I've already got some thing planned for us."

"Really? Care to share?"

"It's a surprise, but I'm sure you'll love it. You gotta wait and see." Turning around in her arms, I notice she looks tired. She and Aria stayed up late last night talking and both of them didn't get much rest. "How are you doing with all of this?"

"I'm alright." She starts, letting out a sigh. "It sucks that this happened, but I'll be okay. I hope my mom is doing alright. She was close to her dad."

"Is her mom still alive?"

"No, she passed some years ago. I think that's when my mom and him got closer."

"That makes sense. Maybe we should call it an early night tonight. After dinner we can check in on the kids and get some much needed sleep."

"Yeah, that sounds good. I love you, you know that?"

"Mhmm. I love you too." Our lips meet for a lingering kiss that's interrupted by a knock on our door. "That's probably Aria." Grabbing our room keys and our bags, we open to the door to Aria who leads us to her parent's room.

"My darlings!" Carlos greets us. "I'm so glad you made it. "Come in, come in." He says ushering us inside his penthouse suite and giving us all big bear hugs. This is the most affection I've ever received from Carlos, but it certainly makes sense under the circumstances.

"Hi dad. How are you? How's everything? How's mother?" Callie rattles off fast.

"She's holding up. You ladies really helped by taking care of a lot of the arrangements."

"Of course. Is she here?" Aria asks.

"Yeah, she's around here somewhere."

"I'm right here, Carlos." Lucia says as she waltzes into the living room. If I'm being honest I'm just a tad bit intimidated by her. Her presence commands the room and her appearance screams wealth. Even so, I remember that this is the woman that came into my house and said many hurtful words about my wife, our daughter, and me and that's something that won't ever be forgotten. "Aria, my dear, thanks for everything. You've done so much. I love you dearly." She engulfs Aria in a huge hug and gives Callie just a kiss on the cheek. The difference between the two greetings doesn't go unnoticed by anyone in the room.

"Callie helped to you know?" Aria points out, but Lucia neglects the comment.

"Carlos, what is she doing here?" She seethes through her teeth looking at me.

"Mom, seriously?" Aria pipes us. I feel Callie take my hand in hers and gives mine a squeeze.

"Lucia, I told you Calliope would be here."

"I know. That's understandable, but this woman—"

"Her name is Arizona, mother and you know that we're married. She's my wife and is part of our family."

"I'm very sorry for your loss." I give my condolences and look to Carlos who gives me a smile for encouragement.

"Thank you. You didn't bring those children of yours did you?" The disdain in her voice is evident, but I decide to answer respectfully.

"No _your_ grandchildren, Sofia and Noah, are back home being looked after by their grandmother and Sofia's father." We all wait for Lucia to say something snarky back, but thankfully she doesn't.

"Very well. We have some things to discuss before dinner, so let's get to it." Aria, Callie, and Lucia handle most of the conversation while Carlos speaks up when needed. While I did begin to feel more comfortable in Lucia's presence over time, I didn't miss the few subtle looks of disapproval she threw at me. After about forty minutes a knock on the door alerts us of company.

"The hotel staff has informed me that some of our family has arrived for dinner. We should head down soon."

"Sounds good. We're pretty much done here. I'm going to go freshen up in the bathroom." Lucia excuses herself from the room while Aria and Carlos has a quick separate conversation about business.

"I'm sorry about my mom."

"Don't apologize for her, it's okay."

"No, it's not okay, Arizona. If you want you can order room service and stay in the room. Watch a movie or something. I'll excuse myself after I eat something fast."

"Is that what you want?"

"No…maybe? I don't know. Of course I want you with me, but I don't want to subject you to my family. I mean not all of my cousins, aunts, and uncles have the same views as my mother but some do and I don't want you to have to sit through that. I don't know what anyone is going to say. I haven't seen some of these people in a long time."

"I don't want you to be by yourself."

"I'll at least have Aria and my dad in my corner."

"Let's think positively. Maybe everything will be okay. It might not be as bad as you think. Besides I want to meet more of your family. I know these aren't the best of circumstances to meet them, but I'd still love to get to know more of the Torres bunch."

"If you say so."

"I do." I say before giving her a kiss.

"Well it looks like you got the stick out your ass from earlier." Aria comments coming over to us.

"Funny." Callie replies dryly. "I'm sorry about that. You didn't deserve it."

"It's whatever." Aria shrugs with a smile. "I didn't mean to imply that you and Arizona aren't good parents or anything." They hug it out just as Lucia comes back into the room.

"Aria, I want you and Carlos to sit next to me at the table. Callie can sit at the other end of the table with California."

"It's Arizona." Callie, Aria, and Carlos all say in unison, which takes Lucia by great surprise and shock. Lucia Torres may not like me, hell she may hate me, but I'm a thousand percent positive that she knows my name.

"Right, what I meant. Arizona. Let's go." She says clapping her hands. "We can't be late." One by one we all exit the room and take an awkward elevator ride down to the hotel restaurant where we're whisked away to a private dinner room in the back. There are about twenty people already there seated. Everyone stands up to greet one another. Lots of condolences and well wishes are given to us and Callie does a great job introducing me to her family. Once we are all seated again waiters come around filling our cups with water and asking for any additional drink orders. Callie of course abstains from any alcohol and I do the same.

"No wine for you either, dear?" Maria asks. With Callie on my right chatting away with someone else, Maria is seated to my left and I quickly learned that she's Lucia's sister. Right away she gave of a much more welcoming and comforting presence then her sister, and by the looks of it she's a few years younger than Lucia.

"No not tonight."

"More power to you. These family things can be a little stressful sometimes and the only thing that keeps me sane is a tall glass of red wine." She jokes lightly. "It's a shame we have to meet like this. You know, I've known about you for quite some time."

"You have?"

"Of course. I get most of my information from Aria, but I know the basics. You're a teacher, you have two wonderful kids with Callie, you're from Maryland, and probably the most important thing is that you love my niece."

"Those are all true."

"Good. At least I know I'm getting all my info from a good source." She laughs. "Do you have any pictures of your children? I'd love to see them."

"Of course, of course." I whip out my phone and show Maria a few goofy pictures of Sofia and Noah as well as some family pictures of all four of us.

"My goodness you all make a cute family."

"Thank you. And again, I'm so sorry for your loss. I didn't meet your father, but from what everyone has said about him he was a great person."

"Ha!" She laughs, which completely knocks me off guard. That definitely wouldn't be my reaction to the loss of my father.

"Oh, I'm sorry honey, I didn't mean to startle you. Thanks for saying that though. It's just that he wasn't as great as everyone makes it out to be."

"I'm sorry, I—"

"Let me let you in on a little family secret. I'm a bastard child – well to my sister anyway. Lucia's father, Ricardo, cheated on his wife with my mom and then had me. My mom and Ricardo had this great love affair for about one year and then he went back to Lucia's mom. Five years later my mother tragically died in a freak car accident and Ricardo took me in with his family. He was a good man, but I wouldn't say great. Either way, Lucia made sure to go out of her way to make me feel less important then her. She hated that her father cheated on her mother, but was happy when they finally got back together. It's a family secret that's rarely talked about and was covered up for many years."

"Wow…that's heavy."

"Yeah, I guess that's why I'm down here at this end of the table with you guys." She chuckles. Our waiters come out with our food and we all dig in. Callie is engrossed in conversation with some cousins she hasn't seen in forever while Maria and I continue to chat.

"So what do you do for a living? I take it you're not in the hotel business?"

"Oh gosh no. Lucia wouldn't even let me near that if I wanted. I never told her, but Carlos offered me a job."

"Why did you say no?"

"It wasn't what I wanted for myself. I went to college and got a business degree like thousands of other kids and thought I'd work at a big company and work my way to the top. Throw in a house, husband, and two kids and I'm living the America dream, right? Wrong. At least for me anyway. When my mother passed she left me money and I used that to travel. I left the states and have only been back a handful of times since."

"So you're like a professional traveler?"

"Sorta, I guess you can say that. I've been all over and six continents with the exception of Antarctica. I try new things, eat amazing food, and explore the most beautiful landscapes our world has to offer and I blog. I get paid to blog post about my adventures, but I don't do it for the money. Truth be told, I have enough of that. I do it because it makes me happy."

"That's truly wonderful. Sounds amazing." I'm a little in awe of her. Her life sounds very amazing. Traveling all the time with little to no responsibilities sounds like a good way to live

"It is! And let me tell ya. I've been all over this world and one thing is for certain. Love is universal. All kinds of love. I've seen couples have sex on the beach, argue in alleyways, laugh at corny jokes, and everything in between. The common factor is love. It's a special thing and from what I've been told and just from being around you and Callie for all of an hour so far tonight you ladies are in love and it's beautiful."

"Thank you, we really are."

"I'm so happy for you and I wish Lucia could see that. She's been in her bubble for so long, if she just took the time to be more understanding and opening she'd realize what you two have. I think deep down she wants to be apart of it and be that loving grandmother, but she just can't shake what's holding her back. She doesn't even realize it, but she's punishing herself. You would think on somber occasions like a funeral she would realize what's important in life, but she's just being an asshole." Her comment makes me snort with laughter, which gets both of us a few looks, but those soon go away as people carry on with their own conversations.

"What is so funny over here?" Callie asks leaning over and placing a kiss on my cheek. "I want in."

"Just making small talk with your lovely wife, that's all."

"I had a feeling you two may get along."

"We are. Now how come I didn't get an invite to your wedding?" She asks with deep seriousness before cracking a little grin.

"You're never in the States, not to mention you don't have a permanent address cause you're moving all the time."

"Hmmm, fair enough. Well I'm going to make a trip to Seattle cause I just have to see your adorable children up close in person."

"You're welcome anytime to our house." Calliope responds without hesitation.

"Give me five or six years and I may take you up on that offer." She says making all three of laugh. Callie let's out a smile yawn and I take that as my cue to suggest heading upstairs.

"We should head up. It's going to be a long day tomorrow." Without much convincing, Callie agrees and we politely excuse ourselves from the table. Once in our room, we check in with my mom and Noah, and Mark and Sofia before changing into our pajamas.

"You know I really like Maria." Sliding into bed next to my wife, I fluff a few pillows to get them just how I like 'em.

"Me too. I wish I saw more of her. She's always off doing something way too cool for me."

"I'm guessing you didn't see her much growing up?"

"Nope. Maybe two or three times. Once Aria and I got older we took a couple trips to visit her. She lives a fast life. Always on the move and looking for the next adventures to write about. We email back a forth a little, but only to keep in contact."

"That's nice of you. See, tonight wasn't so bad, was it?"

"No. I guess I was expecting the worse. I mean my mother has been a complete bitch to you."

"Callie…"

"It's true. I mean California? Really?"

"Yeah, that was kind of a low blow."

"It was pretty petty, babe."

"It was and if she were any other person and it wasn't her father's funeral tomorrow I would call her out on it, but at least one of us has to have some respect."

"Well I'm glad it was you." She says fighting off another yawn. "Gosh, I didn't realize how exhausted I was."

"Let's get some sleep then." Flicking off the lamp on the nightstand, I slide deeper under the covers and closer to my wife. "Night, babe."

"Goodnight."

The room is still dark once I open my so I know it's either really late or really early. Regardless, I hear a faint hush coming from another room. I stretch out my arms and legs and feel around the bed and I notice Calliope is missing. Becoming more alert, I sit up and listen more closely. The sounds are coming from the bathroom. I see the light on underneath the closed door, so I decide get up and knock on it.

"Calliope? Baby, are you okay?" I hear her mumble a few curse words before she opens the open halfway.

"Arizona, hey. Sorry for waking you. I just couldn't sleep. Go back to bed, babe."

"W-what's going on?" I stumble my words just a tad as I'm still waking up.

"I wasn't feeling well so I just came in here. I couldn't sleep cause my stomach was still upset so I just decided to practice my prayer for the service. Public speaking makes me nervous and I really don't want to mess this up."

"Do you need something?" I ask pushing the door open wider.

"No, probably just a little morning sickness or something. Once that settles I'll come back to bed." Walking inside, I hop up on the counter.

"Practice on me."

"No, no. I'm sorry for waking you. Just go back to sleep."

"Too late I'm up now. Let me hear it." She questions my actions just for a second before caving. A few lines into it she stops.

"I can't do this. I'm going to get nervous up their and puke. Then I'll just be remembered as the girl who puked at her grandfather's funerals."

"Okay, first that's not going to happy. Just relax. If you get nervous look at me."

"Okay." She says settling herself down. "Wanna try again?"

"No."

"Callie."

"Okay, okay. Let's go it again." Like before she starts off strong and steady and then she just stops again.

"I can't do it."

"Stop telling yourself that. You can do it. I promise." I pull her closer to me by the arms. "What's the technique people use. Picture everyone naked or something?"

"Ew, that's gross. I don't want to picture my family naked."

"Fair enough…maybe picture me naked?" I suggest.

"As much as I love doing that it'll only be a distraction. Then I really won't be able to focus."

"Okay, then just look at me the whole time. Fully clothed, like the only person in the room."

"Got it." She nods in affirmation. We spend another thirty minutes practicing her prayer before returning to sleep. The following morning we meet the family downstairs for a light breakfast. Everyone is wearing black and the mood is way more subdued compared to dinner last night. Some people are wearing black sunglasses to mask their faces. Limousines come to pick us up and escort us to the church where family and friends file in. All the details Callie and Aria talked about are present and in place from the flowers, to the funeral programs. The first pew of the church is reserved for the family so I decide to sit behind them in the second row, not wanting to upset anyone – particularly Lucia – this morning. Calliope turns around pleading eyes to join her, but I tell her its okay. As more people shuffle in, people greet the family and soon the church is almost full.

I notice Lucia turn around in her seat and look at me. "Don't be rude, Arizona. Come sit in the first pew with the rest of the family." She quips before turning back around. Shocked would be an understatement, but I shake it off and move to sit next Calliope. In her own way, Lucia is slowly, but surely accepting me into the family and I couldn't be happier. Although it was never needed, her validation means a lot to me.

"Hey, where'd you come from?" My wife asks pleasantly surprised.

"Your mom told me to come sit with you guys. She called me family."

"Really?"

"Mhmm, and she called me by my actual name." I whisper to her. "This is good."

"This is really good." Looking around I notice Carlos and Aria both smiling at me and Maria throws me a wink. I'm not sure if any of them had anything to do with the seating arrangements, but clearly something changed between yesterday and this morning. Maybe Lucia finally just came to her senses.

The service was beautiful. Tears shed in memory and laughter was heard as family members recounted funny stories. Callie did a great job like I suspected and Aria gave a very moving speech. After the service we went to the burial site followed by a repast at a family member's home. Once back at the hotel, Callie and I got out of church clothes and decided to go out. We ended up walking around a little before settling for a beachfront restaurant.

"So you ready to go home tomorrow?" I ask as we munch over an appetizer.

"Yeah. Oddly enough I want to get back to work."

"Me too. Summer break has been great, but I'm ready to get into a classroom again."

"And we have our ten week ultrasound soon."

"I know. I can't wait for that." I smile just at the thought of seeing our little one the machine again. Just hearing the heartbeat warms my soul.

"Soon we can tell people about our little one."

"Ahh, I can't wait."

"Me neither. Let's get through this dinner, pack up tonight and hop on that plane first thing tomorrow morning. I'm ready to go home."

"I'm right there with ya, babe."

 **Thanks for reading! And thanks to musicforsoul for continuing to help me out.**


	13. Chapter 13

I don't anything…all credit goes to ABC/Shondaland.

 **AN: I have no medical background/history so all mistakes are my own. Hope you enjoy!**

Chapter Thirteen

Callie's POV

We've been back from California for a little over a week now and I've been working nonstop. Any free time has been spent at home or sleeping. Arizona goes back to work soon and with the kids starting classes in a few days we've been slowly transitioning from summer to fall, and the cooler Seattle weather has certainly helped with the transition. Today is another long day at the hospital and I've been sneaking in some quiet time between surgeries in my office.

I can't help but smile when I feel my phone vibrate in my pocket and notice Arizona is calling. Hearing her voice is always a good pick me up. "Hey babe, what's up?"

"Calliope! I didn't think I'd get you. I was expecting voicemail. This is a pleasant surprise. I thought you were jammed packed today?"

"I was – well I am, I just have some time in between surgeries so I'm crashing on the couch for a little bit."

"Oh that's nice. Well I was just calling to let you know that Teddy called and invited us to see Henry play tonight. I told her I thought you'd be working late, but that Noah and I would love to go.

"Oh that should be fun. You guys should have a good time. Tell Teddy I'm sorry I couldn't make it."

"I will. I'm sure she understands. I told her that Sof still had a day left with Mark, so she invited them too. I texted Mark and he was okay with it, especially since he loves baseball. Plus I think Noah misses Sofia a little, so it'd be nice for them to see each other."

"Yeah, that would be good. Snap of picture of Sofia and Noah in their jerseys. They look so adorable in them."

"Of course I will. Once I told Noah about the game he said he was going to eat all the hotdogs he could." She laughs and I'm already picturing Noah stuffing his face with food and most likely getting ketchup on himself.

"Ha. That sounds like him."

"Yeah, so are you feeling any better after this morning?" I woke up with some cramps this morning that I haven't felt before. I'm sure it's just a symptom of the pregnancy, but they definitely slowed me down this morning, but luckily after a few hours they went away.

"Yeah, after my first surgery they went away. It was probably just the little one messing around or something. If they get any worse or something I might stop up in OB and check in with Dr. Caplan."

"Okay, well let me know how that goes. I'm going to try and get Noah down for a nap so he isn't too cranky later."

"Sounds good. Tell him I said hi. I'll check in with you later."

"Okay, love you. Bye."

"Love you too. Bye." As soon as I hang up there's a knock my on office door and in comes Wilson.

"Hey Dr. Torres, I was just – oh if you're sleeping I can come back another time." She says noticing my laid out position on the couch. "I didn't mean to interrupt."

"No, no. It's alright," I wave her in the room and she passes me a tablet. "Good, good. Everything is looking good for Mr. Hensley. You can tell him we'll discharge him tomorrow."

"Great. I was wondering if I could scrub in on your surgery later?"

"Yeah, that's fine. It's not for another hour, so grab something to eat because we're going to be in the OR for a few hours. We have back to back surgeries again."

"Sweet!" She says excitedly exiting my office. I catch a few more extra minutes of quiet time before it's time to head down to the OR and scrub in. The first surgery ran smoothly and Wilson and I had an assist from Bailey. The second surgery had a few more complications, but we were able to get through it as best we could and the patient should make a full recovery.

"Hey Torres!" Kepner greets me with a burst of energy as she steps onto the elevator.

"April, hey." I respond a little dejected.

"Sorry, did I catch you at a bad time?"

"Nah, just had a long day. Plus I remembered I have a bunch of paper work to do before I can head out."

"Oh, well that sucks. Hey, I heard about your grandfather. I'm so sorry for your loss." She says sincerely.

"Thanks. The service was nice."

"That's good. Well let me know if you need anything." She steps off the elevator and gives me a quick wave bye. Before hunkering down in my office for a few more hours, I decide to make a quick use of the restroom. I felt totally fine during the surgery, but to my surprise I notice a few spots of blood in my underwear. I know spotting isn't entirely unusual during a pregnancy, but it's my first time experiencing it and I'd by lying if I said it didn't alarm me. I finish taking care of my business and decide to head up to OB and see if Dr. Caplan is in. Maybe he can ease my concern.

Arriving in the waiting room I notice other women in different stages of their pregnancy sitting around. "Dr. Torres, how can I help you?" The nurse welcomes me with a warm smile.

"Hey, I was just wondering if Dr. Caplan was in? I just have a quick question. I can wait though. I see there are other people waiting too."

"Actually, those people are waiting to see other doctors. Dr. Caplan actually left for the day. He had another engagement. Should I schedule you in early tomorrow morning? I think we have you on the schedule for next week for another check up if you would prefer to wait then."

"Uhh," I take a few seconds to weigh my options, but I'd feel better stopping in tomorrow morning just to calm my nerves. "Tomorrow morning would be great."

"Great. I'll pencil you in for eight? That work for you?"

"Eight, sure. I'll be here. Thanks."

"Not a problem. Have a great day!" She gives me a note as a reminder and I'm back down to my office to get some work done. It's definitely not my favorite part of the job, but being department head does require more administrative work. It's close to ten in the evening before I step back into my home. The first floor is dark with all the lights off so I just grab a bottle of water from the fridge and head upstairs. I take a peak into Noah's room, but to my surprise he isn't in his bed. I'm sure the baseball game is over by now and Arizona's car is parked in the driveway. Maybe he's in bed with Arizona.

"Hey you. Late night, huh?" Arizona asks as I enter the room where she's already in bed and watching something on television.

"Yeah. I would've texted, but I just got lost in paperwork and figured you guys were having a good time at the game."

"It's okay, no worries. Yeah, we had a great time. We won and Henry had a homerun."

"That's good. I think they are doing pretty good this year. Hopefully they make the playoffs." I take a seat on the edge of the bed and kick off my shoes.

"I know Teddy and I were talking about that. Did you know players get paid more for each playoff game they play? Crazy, right?"

"Yeah, that seems a little excessive. Hey Noah isn't in his bed. Where is he?"

"Oh, he spent the night with Sofia at Mark's. Like we figured they were missing each other so Mark insisted that they could have a little sleepover. He promised to bring him back tomorrow when he drops Sofia off."

"Ohh okay. Well that's nice. I wish I didn't have to work so late. I would've come home earlier so we could have a meal that didn't consist of chicken fingers or spaghetti." I laugh as I get up and change into some more comfortable nightclothes.

"I know what you mean. I swear they only eat the same five or six meals." Every time we try to introduce the kids to new and different meals they hate it and refuse to try anything. One time I tried to get Sof to try some salmon and she made it seem like it was the end of the world. "If you're hungry I can fix you something."

"Nah, it's okay. I'm not that hungry anymore." Moving into the bathroom, I begin my nightly routine of washing my face and brushing my teeth.

"So I spoke to my mom today." My wife calls out.

"Oh yeah? How is she doing?"

"Good. She was just checking in since it's been a few days since the funeral."

"That's nice of her."

"Yeah. She's already planning for Christmas in Hawaii."

"A little early isn't it?"

"That's what I said, but you know my mom. She's always a few steps ahead of everyone else.

"Sounds like her. Did you tell her about the baby?"

"No, I thought we were going to wait a few more weeks. We have another check up next week, right?"

"Yeah, I just thought you might have told her." Returning to the bedroom. I slide in under the sheets and turn to face Arizona.

"Nope. My lips are sealed until we're ready." She says drawing a line along her lips and throwing away an invisible key.

"Speaking of appointments. I noticed some spotting earlier when I went to the bathroom." This gets her attention and I notice her face takes a more serious demeanor.

"Are you okay? Was it a lot?"

"No, well I don't think so. It didn't look that much different from what you had. I went to see if Dr. Caplan was in, you know just for a quick consult, but he wasn't so I made an appointment for tomorrow morning."

"Okay, well Mark isn't going to be back with the kids until the afternoon so I can come with you."

"I'd like that." I lean in for a small kiss, but she grabs my face and holds me for just a few seconds longer.

"You know what I was thinking?"

"Hmm?"

"With three kids we're going to have to get you a new car." She says with a little smirk on her face.

"Wait, wait, why? I like my car. It's fine." I quickly reply defensively.

"It's a great car, babe but three car seats can't fit comfortably in the back."

"Well that's why we have your car. It has way more space."

"Yeah _my_ car does, but not yours. Do I have to remind you that I got rid of my car before Noah arrived."

"Yeah, but that was because your car was small and old. No offense. Plus, I recall a phone call with your mom saying her grandkids had to ride in style."

"My car wasn't small and old it was…it was quaint and just a little worn down." Even she knows it's a weak argument, but I give her credit. "Besides you weren't complaining when I was driving you around in it when we going on dates and stuff."

"Of course I didn't mind. I wasn't with you for your car."

"Regardless, we got off topic a little. You're going to need a bigger car."

"Why can't we just use your car if we take a big family trip or something?"

"Because I don't feel like shuffling car seats back and forth. Or what if something comes up and my car isn't available. Shit happens, babe. We can't predict everything."

"Fine." I fake pout. "This conversation is on a temporary hold."

"Whatever you say, but we are getting another car before the baby arrives." She states affirmatively.

"Well can we at least keep it for Sof to practice on?"

"Callie that seems impractical. That's not for at least ten years. Besides, I'm sure Mark or your dad will buy her a nice, shiny new car once she passes her test."

"Fair point. That seems like exactly something Mark or my dad would do." We chat and joke lightly for a few more minutes until I feel myself falling asleep.

I wake up to a piercing headache. It's probably the worst headache I've ever experienced and I have no clue where it's coming from. I look at my phone to check the time and it's just a little after three in the morning. I sit up against the headboard and try to shake it off. I'm hesitant to take any medication for it because of the pregnancy. After a few minutes of waiting it out I notice my cramps from earlier are coming back. I don't know what this is, but it definitely isn't a good feeling. I decide to get up and head into the bathroom. I start pacing back and forth and hope that calms me down and gets rid of the cramps and headache. It wasn't until I looked up from my feet pacing the floor to see my reflection in the mirror. On the back pants I see blood. Way more blood than earlier.

Fuck.

About a million different scenarios are running through my mind right now and I freeze up. I stop moving and just stare at myself in the mirror. I'm almost afraid to move.

"Hey Callie, are you okay?" I hear my wife asks in a groggy voice from other side of the door. "I uh, I noticed you weren't in bed I saw…I saw some blood." I hear her voice shaking with nervousness and I think we're both thinking the same thing. "It looked like a lot, Callie."

I can't move. I can't speak. I'm afraid to do anything. I continue to stare at myself in the mirror and hear the door open followed by a loud gasp from my wife.

"Callie." She almost whispers. Again, I can't do anything. I think I know what's happening, but I don't want to believe it. It's not happening to me. I'm healthy. I'm fine. I'm perfect. This isn't happening. This _can't_ be happening. I've done everything right.

"Callie!" She yells, which gets my attention. "Callie, please say something! Baby, you're bleeding." I hear her voice crack and it's taking all the strength I have not to cry because if I cry I won't be able to stop.

"I need to go to the hospital." I mutter.

"Okay, let's go." She says in a hurried and worried tone. "I'll drive you. Let's just go." She's trying to pull me along, but I physically can't move. "Callie, I need you move. You're scaring me like this." She's on the verge of tears and is moving frantically all around me. "Let's get in to the car and go!"

"Arizona, I can't. I need you to call the ambulance."

"No, I can drive you. Come on." Something in my snaps and I break out of my daze and turn to look straight into her eyes.

"Arizona, I need you to call an ambulance. We won't make it if you drive me."

"Don't say that!" She yells at me and I know she's scared. I know she knows what's going on. She's not dumb. We've read enough pregnancy books to know what this is. This is different from what she experienced with Noah. "I can drive you!"

"Arizona! Listen to me! I need you to call 911 right now and get an ambulance." The last sounds I hear are Arizona on the phone before my mind goes blank. Everything just happened so quickly. The paramedics showed up and drove us to Seattle Grace. I don't register everything that's going on, but I hear Kepner's voice along side me on the stretcher as I'm being wheeled into the emergency room. I hear the paramedics rattle off my stats. I just stare up at the ceiling and florescent lights as doctors work all around me.

"She's about nine weeks pregnant."

"She's pregnant?!" Kepner asks in shock.

"Is the baby okay?" I hear my wife's voice off in the distance. "April! The baby! Please!"

"Can someone get OB in here, stat!" April yells. "Callie, can you hear me? You're going to be okay. Follow my movements." I respond to everything she tests me on, but I don't even feel anything anymore. I'm numb inside.

"Where's OB!?"

"I'm here! What do we have?" The voice sounds familiar, but I'm not quite sure who it is. Probably just some doctor I've said hello to in passing.

"Call—" April starts, but is quickly cut off.

"Is this Dr. Torres?!" They ask startled.

"Yes, Dr. Torres. She's nine weeks pregnant and already lost lots of blood. We need you to do an ultrasound."

"I need the room quiet!" I can barely feel the wand on my abdomen as she searches for a heartbeat, but I already know she won't find it. It's gone. I lost the baby.

"I can't-I don't hear anything. There's no heartbeat."

"No, no, no." Arizona's cries shriek through the room. I lock eyes with Kepner and she gives me a sympathetic look and it was all the confirmation I need it.

"Callie, I'm so sorry."

"Move her up to, OB. We'll go from there." The mystery doctor says.

"I want—" My voice is a dry and I can barely speak.

"What is it, Callie? Can you speak up?"

"I want Arizona." I rasp out.

"Of course. She can go up with you. Guys, let's get Dr. Torres up to OB quickly. Arizona, you can go up too." Kepner's face is replaced with my wife's as she comes to stand next to me.

"It's okay. You're okay, Calliope. I'm right here." She says wiping away tears. Her eyes are watery and red and her cheeks are flushed. "We'll get through this." She holds my hand and is right by my side as I'm rolled away. Once I'm settled in my room and alone with Arizona we both shed silent tears. She joins me in my small hospital bed and just holds me as we continue to cry. A few minutes later a knock on the door notifies us of a doctor's presence.

"Mrs. Torres, may I speak with you for a second." Arizona looks to me and I give her a nod to let her know it's okay. She gets up and huddles with the mystery doctor in the corner. I hear my wife continue to sob as she and the doctor talk.

"I—I don't know. You have to ask her. I can't make this decision."

"Of course, Mrs. Torres."

"Callie, baby. Dr. Wentz wants to know what you want to do." Arizona says rejoining me at my side.

"Dr. Torres, I'm Dr. Wentz and I work in OB." The mystery doctor is a mystery no more as I see her face. Dr. Wentz, yeah, I know who she is. Sweet lady. "First let me say how very sorry I am for your loss. I was just talking with your wife about our options going forward. We can—"

"I want a D&C." I know my options. I'm a doctor for goodness sake. Sure, I'm ortho, but I've passed my OB rotation. I don't want to wait at home for my baby to pass. I can't handle that. It'll be too much for me.

"Calliope, maybe we should talk about it."

"Arizona, I want a D&C." I state firmly. "Dr. Wentz, please." I plead.

"Of course. I'll get an OR set up. It's a quick procedure. A nurse will bring you down momentarily." She exits the room and leaves my wife and me alone once again.

"There was a lot of blood." I say breaking the silence.

"I know."

"Arizona, I just can't. I can't take this with me home. I'm sorry."

"You have nothing to be sorry for, Calliope. Do you understand me? This isn't your fault." I know she's right, but I don't believe it. "We'll get through this."

"Will we?" For the first time I have a shadow of doubt. Will we get through this?

"Yes, we will. I'll make sure of it." We sit and wait until a nurse comes in and moves me. "I'll be right here when you get back. I love you, Calliope."

"You're awake." My wife greets me with a big smile as soon as I open my eyes. "It took some time for the anesthesia to wear off."

"How did it go?"

"Fine. All the bleeding is stopped and you're clear from infections." Her perky attitude is on display as she tries to cheer me up, but nothing can take away the empty feeling I have inside.

"I want to go home."

"We will soon. Dr. Caplan came in and wants to see you real quick. Kepner offered to give us a lift home."

"Arizona, I wanna go home. Now."

"I know you do, babe, but we need to just wait a little longer. I promise I'll get you home."

"What time is it?" I ask looking out the hospital room window.

"A little after six in the morning. Here, drink so water." She offers me a cup and I take some sips. Twenty minutes go and then Dr. Caplan comes in.

"Callie, Arizona. I'm so sorry for you loss." He says compassionately and standing at the foot of my hospital bed. "I've taken over for Dr. Wentz. She's filled me in on everything. I can discharge you very soon. I just want you to go home and get some rest. I've spoken with the Chief and he's given you a week off, but if you need more time that shouldn't be a problem. If you feel any pain or discomfort I want you to let me know and I can prescribe some medication from that. The discharge papers will have more notes for you."

"Why did this happen to me?" I know there isn't an exact answer, but I just need something.

"To be honest, Callie. I don't know. Sometimes these things just happen. I can tell you it was nothing you did. You were healthy and on the right track. These things aren't predictable. It could've been a combination of factors, we'll never really know."

"Okay." Is all I can muster out. It's another hour or so before Arizona and I walk through our front door. The house seems dark and eerie. The last time I was here I was pregnant and now I'm not. Now I have nothing.

"Let's get you upstairs and in bed." I gingerly make my way up the stairs with the assistance of Arizona. I get halfway down the hall before I stop.

"I can't go in there." I point to our bedroom door and shake my head. "I can't go back in there." I say again and this time my voice falters and tears come out again.

"Okay, okay. You don't have to, babe. Let's go into to the guest room." She directs into another room and helps me into bed.

"Lay down with me." I ask and she obliges.

"This was supposed to be their room." I close my eyes and imagine how Arizona and I would've decorated it. She's always been good at that stuff I probably would've let her take the lead.

"I know."

"I had been looking up cribs online." I confess.

"Me too." We both turn to look at each other and she gives me a kiss on my forehead, which opens the floodgates once again for me.

"We lost the baby, Arizona."

"I know we did." She pulls me into her chest and rubs my back soothingly. "I know."

 **AN: Thanks for reading and thanks to musicforsoul for consistently helping me out. I have a plan (including way more happier times) so just bear with me. I know this was sad (it was sad to write), but it's all part of a longer idea I have for the story.**


	14. Chapter 14

I don't own anything…all credit goes to ABC/Shondaland

 **Hope you enjoy!**

Chapter Fourteen

Arizona's POV

It's only been a few hours since Callie and I have been back from the hospital and she's been sleep ever since. We cried together in silence for a few minutes before she finally fell asleep. I, on the other hand, couldn't sleep. My mind has been racing all over. I've never experienced anything so traumatic like this, and I can only imagine what Callie is going through. Sure it was our child, but she was physically carrying it so, I'm sure she's having a more difficult time with everything. I'm honestly not sure if she's processed all that's happened in the last couple of hours. All I know was that I couldn't sleep so I left Callie alone in bed and started cleaning. The first thing I tackled was our bedroom. Our bedroom has always felt like a loving, fun, happy place; a room where we express our love for each other and have movie night with the kids. Now it's a memory of something so tragic. I start by stripping the bed sheets and putting them in a trash back to throw away. I scrubbed the bathroom clean, not that it was a mess, but it just felt needed to be done. I took a shower myself and freshened up before cleaning the rest of the house. I did all the laundry and even made a big pot of chili for dinner. As much as I want to cry, yell, and scream at the skies for what happened I can't right now. I have to be strong for Callie and brave for the kids. They know nothing about this and I don't want them to. Marriage is a partnership and right now my partner is down, but that's okay. I'll step up and pull us together like I know she would for me. I'm a positive person, I always have been and that won't stop now. I know we'll get through this difficult time, it won't be easy, but we will because we love each other.

"Hey!"

"Hi. Smells good in here, what did you fix?" Callie asks walking into the kitchen and taking a seat.

"I made a big pot of chili. It's my mom's recipe and she fixes it a lot during the fall and winter. You want some?"

"I think I'll wait. Mark called and said he was on his way over with the kids, so maybe I'll wait to eat with them."

"Okay. How did you sleep?"

"Fine I guess." She shrugs off. "You cleaned up the room."

"I did. Everything is fresh and clean in there."

"Thanks for that."

"Of course. You know I was thinking maybe we can go to counseling—"

"Arizona…"

"Or maybe you can just go by yourself if that's better for you. I don't know how to handle this or what to say, so maybe talking to a professional is better. They can help us through this. Therapy is a safe place and—"

"Arizona, I can't do this right now. Seriously. Just give me some time."

"Don't close up on me, Calliope. Please don't." I plead with her. "Talk to me or talk to someone, but don't push me away."

"I'll talk when I'm ready, I'm not ready right now."

"Okay." I decide to leave it there and not push on her anymore. She's already been through so much and the last thing I want to do is upset her anymore.

"Do you want something to drink?"

"I guess this means I can drink again, right?" She chuckles dryly. I know the comment was meant to lighten the mood, but it's a little too soon. Luckily the doorbell rings and Callie goes to open it.

"Mama! Mama!" Noah and Sofia cheer loudly. Sofia throws herself at Callie and she engulfs her in a huge hug. "I missed you, mama."

"I missed you too, baby girl. So, so much."

"What about me?" Noah asks letting go of Mark's hand and running over to me.

"Of course we missed you, buddy. One night away from you is too much." I say picking him up and kissing his rosy cheeks.

"Hey, Cal." Mark says stepping inside our home. "You okay? You look a little…"

"I'm fine, Mark." She replies quickly switching to a different topic. "How was she?"

"An angel as usual. We had a good time, isn't that right Sof?"

"Yeah! Daddy let me eat pizza and watch movies and let my friends comes over after dance camp."

"He let me eat ice cream last night!" Noah pipes up.

"Hey, I thought that was our little secret?" Mark jokes. "Cal, can I talk to you and Arizona for a second?"

"Sure." I say leading us into the living room.

"Hey, how about you guys go wash your hands and get ready for dinner? Okay?" I tell the kids. Sof gives Mark a big hug and kiss goodbye and Noah gives him a few high fives before disappearing upstairs.

"What's up, Mark?" Callie asks as we move into the nearby living room. "Did everything go okay with Sofia?"

"Yeah, of course. She's perfect as usual. I wanted to talk to you guys about more time with Sof."

"What do you mean?" My wife asks as we both sit down on the couch as Mark continues to stand.

"I mean I want more time. Sure two or three weeks is great, but I want more." Callie just starts to laugh, but I can tell through Mark's face that he isn't joking. "Cal, I'm serious."

"Well what exactly to you propose? She's in school for almost nine months out of the year."

"I know, and I don't want her to switch schools or anything. I'm saying I want some holidays. You know Thanksgiving, Christmas…and I want her during the summer. The entire summer in California."

"No way." Callie quickly shoots up and shuts that down. "That's ridiculous."

"Fine, maybe half the summer, but I want at least a month."

"You're outta your mind, Mark."

"Seriously, Callie? I'm crazy because I want to spend more time with my kid? What kind of logic is that?"

"It's not that simple. You don't just live down the street."

"I know. I'll handle everything. Travel arrangements, summer camps, and anything else she might need." He says pleading his case. Callie continues to shake her head 'no'. "I want Christmas this year. You guys get her all the time."

"No." Callie doesn't budge and crosses her arms across her chest in a defensive stance.

"Okay, then Thanksgiving."

"No."

"Callie, you're not being rational. Do you even hear yourself right now?"

"You're not taking my kid away from me, Mark."

"She's my kid too, ya know."

"Is she? You know you're not the only guy I slept with that week. Maybe she's someone else's kid. I mean she barely even looks like you." We all know that's bullshit, but Callie is upset so she's cutting him where it hurts the most. I want to interject, but they keep speaking up before I can even formulate a sentence.

"Cut the crap, Callie. That's not even funny." He says raising his voice. "She's my kid and we both know it."

"Whatever. I'm not dealing with this." Callie says starting to walk away.

"You know I tried to be civil and talk it out with you, but I'll get a lawyer if I have to."

"Really Mark? Is that how you want to play this?" She asks spinning around. "I swear to God I'll get the best attorney money can buy and I'll make sure you never see Sofia again." She snarls out. At this point the emotions from the day have taken over and Callie doesn't even realize what she's saying. I know deep down she'd never keep Sofia away from Mark. I wouldn't let her. It's not fair to Sofia.

"Call me when you calm down. I don't know what's gotten into you, but you need to get the stick out of your ass."

"Okay, enough. Both of you." I start, "Mark, can you just leave, please?"

"Your wife is crazy." He says walking towards the door in disbelief.

"Get the hell out of my house, Mark!" Callie yells on verge of tears.

"Mark, please. Today just isn't the day."

"Fine, I'm gone. Tell Sof I love her and I'll talk to her later."

"I will." I swiftly push him out the front door and take a deep breath.

"Calliope…"

"I already lost one kid today. I'm sure as hell not about to lose another." With that she heads towards the basement and I cringe at the loud noise that comes from her slamming the door. Seconds later the kids come barreling down the stairs.

"Can we eat now?"

"Yeah, can we eat now?" Noah echoes his big sister.

"Sure, go get seated. I'll bring your food out." Noah scampers off while Sof hangs back a second.

"Is mama going to eat too? I miss her."

"You know I don't think she hungry anymore, but I know for a fact that she misses you too."

"Okay." Sof seems satisfied with that answer and scurries away to join her brother at the table. Dinner was pretty relaxed. Sofia just recapped her time with Mark and Noah recapped the baseball game last night, even though all of us were there with him. I let them watch some television while I cleaned up the kitchen.

"Alright, time for baths. Let's go." Turning off the television and guiding them up the stairs.

"Can mama give me my bath?" Sof asks. When she stares at me with her big brown eyes it's hard to say no. I can tell she really misses Calliope. "Please mommy?"

"You head up and I'll go ask her."

"Yay!" With an extra bounce in her step she heads upstairs followed by her brother. I make my way to the basement. To my surprise instead of watching a movie, she's playing a lonely game of pool. I sometimes forget we have that pool table, as it becomes our favorite place to put our laundry once we take it out the dryer.

"Sof wants you to give her a bath."

"Can you do it?" She asks without taking her eyes away from the table.

"Yeah I can do it, but she wants you."

"Fine, I'll do it." She knocks a ball into a pocket and takes a sip of wine to celebrate. By the looks of it she's already about half a bottle deep.

"You know I'm not really sure you're supposed to be drinking." I understand that she's emotional and hurting right now, but this isn't the way she should be handling this.

"Well I'm a doctor, so…" She quips with a snarky attitude.

"Hey!" I snatch the cup out of her hand and grab her attention. "I get that you're upset and emotional and maybe just going through the motions right now, but you don't get to be snippy and sassy with me. I don't deserve it. I lost something too today."

"I know." She replies dejected.

"What you're going to do is go upstairs and give Sofia and Noah a bath, read them stories, and tuck them in. They miss their mom."

"Okay." She says softly. I think she was surprised by my outburst, but it's the only way I could get her attention. Maybe she needs some tough love right now.

"And what you're not going to do is drink yourself into the ground. There are other ways to grieve, but this isn't one of them."

"It was just two cups."

"Yeah and that's how it starts." I take the pool stick out of her hand. "Go. They're waiting upstairs."

As Callie puts the kids down I head into our bedroom and do some research on my laptop. To my surprise and joy a FaceTime call from my brother shows up.

"Tim!"

"Arizona!"

"It's so good to hear your voice. I miss you."

"I know. I've been studying like crazy, but dad mentioned a talk you guys had and I wanted to check in."

"Well it's about time. How's everything?"

"Things could be better. Today's been really tough, Tim." His voice puts me at ease and I feel more comfortable talking to him. My brother is the closet person to me besides Calliope.

"Wanna talk about it?"

"Not really. Maybe later. How are you doing?"

"Well that's why I called! I wanted to personally invite you, Callie, and the kids to my graduation this winter."

"Aw Tim that's great. Of course we'll be there. I'm so proud of you."

"Thanks. I met with my advisor today and said I'm all clear to graduate."

"That's awesome, Tim. Seriously."

"Thanks. I'm so psyched to see you guys again. I miss my niece and nephew."

"They miss you too."

"So what ya doing? A little online shopping?"

"Something like that. Our five year anniversary is coming up—"

"Wow, that was fast."

"I know. I have an idea of what I want to do."

"Lay it on me."

"Callie loves the theater." I start. "And the hottest Broadway show is Hamilton. So I'm looking up Hamilton tickets. Maybe take a weekend trip to New York, see the show, take in some sights…"

"How romantic." Time teases and flutters his eyes accordingly. "Seriously though, sounds like a good idea. I'm sure she'll love it."

"I hope so. We could use some positivity right now."

"Things not so perfect in paradise?" He questions with a hint of concern. "You can tell me anything, sis."

"We…today we…gosh I can't even say it." I start to get a little teary-eyed just thinking about it all over again.

"Arizona, you're starting to scare me."

"Sorry, sorry. Don't tell mom or dad yet, let me do that."

"Okay."

"We lost the baby today. We had a miscarriage." As soon as I said the word a fresh wave of tears come over me.

"Shit, Arizona. I'm so sorry." He begins, softening his voice. "I didn't even know you guys were trying. Was it yours? I mean, were you…?"

"No, Callie was carrying."

"How is she taking it?"

"Not so well. She's devastated. We both are."

"I really am sorry, Arizona. I can't even imagine what's that like. Were there complications with the pregnancy?"

"I don't think so. The doctor didn't mention anything major. I mean Callie was a little stressed, but I don't blame her for this."

"Of course not. These things just happen."

"I know and it sucks. It fucking sucks. We were so happy. I mean it almost felt like the honeymoon stage again and then it all went away."

"Just give her some time and space. You guys will get through this."

"I know we will, but I don't think she believes it."

"Well you gotta make her believe it. You know what dad told us. Always be the good man in the storm. She loves you and you love her. Everything will work itself out. The anniversary trip will be good for you all."

"I really hope so. Hopefully Callie can take some time off."

"How are _you_ doing? Seriously?" He questions genuinely.

"I'm a mess, can't you tell." I joke while wiping away some of my tears. "I'm hanging in there. I mean just next week we had another appointment to check everything out and hear the heartbeat, and now…"

"Is there anything I can do? I hate seeing you like this."

"I'll be okay. Thank you, though. Just talking to you tonight has been good for me. I really miss you."

"Same here. I'll make sure to check in more. Promise."

"I'm going to hold you to that, Tim."

"I know you will. I gotta get back to studying, but call or text me if you need anything. Seriously."

"I will. I'm proud of you. Keep up the good work."

"Thanks, Arizona." After we say goodbye to each other I spend another thirty minutes or so on the computer. I decide to take a break and go check on the kids. Peeking into each other their bedrooms I notice they are both soundly sleeping, which is a surprise to me because I usually say goodnight to them.

"They went down easy." Callie says coming up the stairs with a glass of water. She returns to the guest room and I follow her. "They both only got through half a book."

"Wow, they must've been really tired."

"Yeah. Look, I have to apologize for earlier. You were right. My attitude got the best of me, and I shouldn't have taken that out on you."

"Thank you." I take a seat on the edge of the bed while Callie leans against the wall sipping on her water. "So what are going to do about this Mark situation?"

"I don't know. I'll call him later and talk it out. It'd be nice if we didn't have to get lawyers involved. I get it. He wants more time, but I wish it didn't have to be this way. I never thought I'd be sharing my kid on holidays."

"I'm sure you guys can come up with a compromise."

"I hope so."

"So you ready for bed?"

"Yeah, I guess I'll see you in the morning." What is that supposed to mean?

"What?"

"Arizona, I can't sleep in that room tonight. I'll just crash here in the guest room. No biggie. I appreciate you cleaning it up and everything, but I'm just not ready yet."

"Okay…so you weren't even going to ask me to sleep in here with you?"

"I didn't want to make you feel like you had to." She comments nonchalantly.

"Calliope, for the last five plus years we've slept in the same bed with the exception of a few work trips or one of else falling asleep in Sof or Noah's bed."

"I know." She shrugs.

"Right, so what makes you think that's going to change now?"

"I don't know, Arizona. What do you want me to say? You're overthinking this. I'm not ready to sleep in our bed again. You're more than welcome to sleep in here with me."

"Well thanks for the invitation." I snap back sarcastically. "Sorry." I hate this. I feel like we're tiptoeing around each other. I'm afraid I'll say the wrong thing. I don't know what to say, and truth be told I don't think she knows what to say either. "I'll be back. I'm just to change into some pajamas."

"Okay." She disappears into the guest bathroom and I head back to our room to change. Fifteen minutes later I return to the room and she's already in bed. I turn off the lights and get in bedside her. Usually we chat a little, cuddle, or share a few kisses, but tonight nothing. I scoot over to her and wrap an arm around her, but she recoils and moves away. No explanation needed. I was rejected.

"Night, Arizona."

"Goodnight, Calliope. Love you." A hum is all I get in response. I spend the next few minutes deep in thought. My mind replays everything that happened earlier. Maybe there were signs that I missed. Calliope was stressed out, but that's normal. Her appetite had diminished some. Is that normal? Maybe she was working too much or too hard. Calliope doesn't like to slow down. In the end I'll never know the reason.

"Arizona?"

"Yeah?"

"I love you, too." Those four little words warm my heart. I thought I was really beginning to lose Calliope in all of this, but she's here. I know she has her own way of working stuff out, but I just needed a reminder that I wasn't alone.

I wake up the next morning alone in bed. I look at the clock and notice it's just after ten thirty in the morning. I haven't slept in this late in years. I must've been knocked out because I didn't hear Callie get up, and I'm usually the lighter sleeper between the two of us. I get up and head back in our bedroom. I use the restroom, wash my face, brush my teeth and check my phone. No messages from Calliope. The kid's bedrooms are empty so I guess she took them somewhere. I head down the kitchen and start a pot of coffee. Just as I'm about to call my wife, I hear the front door open and the scamper of little feet running through the house.

"Hey, hey, cool it with all the running guys!" Callie calls out.

"Mommyyyy!" Sofia cheers barreling towards me.

"Hi mommy!" Noah says.

"Morning guys. I missed you guys. Where did you go?"

"Mama took us to breakfast!" Sof answers, taking a seat across from me. Callie comes into the kitchen and helps Noah up into a seat next to his sister.

"Yeah, and I got pancakes with three strips of bacon!" Our son brags.

"Well I got to have waffles with whip cream." Sofia announces. "Lots of whip cream!"

"Lots?" I ask looking to my wife for clarification.

"She may have gone a little overboard." Callie confesses moving next to me and giving me a kiss on the cheek. "Did you sleep well?"

"I did."

"Good. I thought I take them off your hands this morning." She whispers to me. Even from the quick interaction I've had with her this morning I can tell her mood is totally different. She has a smile on her face and is giving off a very positive energy.

"Can we play outside now?"

"Sure, Sof."

"Yay! Noah come on. Let's go." They both hop down from their seats as Callie goes to unlock the backdoor for them. I pour myself a cup of coffee and watch them run around for a bit. They all have smile on their faces and their infectious laughter can be heard inside. Maybe that's all Callie needed, a morning with Sofia and Noah to lift her spirits. It may not fix everything, but it's a start. After a few minutes Callie comes back inside a little out of breath.

"They have so much energy!"

"Tell me about it."

"You feeling better today?"

"Yeah, I think so."

"That's great, Calliope." I pass her a glass of water and she finishes it fast.

"So I think I know what I need."

"Okay, what's that?"

"I need to go to church." Definitely wasn't what I was expecting to hear. "I think it'll help me sort some things out and put things in perspective for me. I think talking to a priest will be good for me. I haven't been in a while and now is a good time."

"Okay...if that's what you feel you need to do then I fully support you. Do you want me to come with you?"

"No. I need to do this by myself. Besides, I know it's not really your thing and that's totally fine. So I'm going to head up to change into something a less casual and then head out. Your good with the kids?"

"Yeah, yeah of course."

"Great." She flashes a smile and goes upstairs.

A couple of hours go by and Callie finally returns home. "Hey, how did it go?"

"Really good." She says coming into the living room greeting me. "I didn't realize how much I needed to say."

"Care to share?"

"Maybe later. I need to change out of these clothes." Leaving the living room, she heads upstairs and I follow her to our bedroom. "Sof and Noah?"

"Naps. They finally wore out." She goes about the room getting undressed and changing into something more comfortable.

"So on my way home I called Addison."

"How did that go?"

"I didn't tell her too much cause I couldn't do all of that over the phone, but I told her about yesterday. Long story short, she's been around couple who've suffered misscarr—well you know what I mean, because of her profession."

"Right, of course…"

"So she knows some helpful ways to handle things, plus she's my best friend and I could really use her right now, I invited her to come here."

"You what?" Not that I don't love Addison, but I really think Callie and I should deal with this alone for the moment.

"She's hopping on a plane early tomorrow."

"Okay…" It sounds like everything has already been planned, so I'm not sure what else I can say about the situation.

"I know this is kinda of spur of the moment and last minute, but you're okay with this? I mean she's not going to stay at the house, but she'll be around this week." Callie asks as she lies down on the bed and clicks on the television.

"Yeah, that's fine. I'm sure the kids would love to see her too." I reply, joining her on the bed.

"I was also thinking maybe I'd start going to church again. Probably not every Sunday, but maybe once a month. I'd really like the kids to come with me. I'm not going to push religion on them or anything, but I'd love to share that experience with them. This whole situation just made me realize how extremely grateful I am for Noah and Sofia. We should do more family things."

"I agree whole heartedly."

"Good. Gosh, I'm so excited for Addie." She squeals with excitement. "She's like a breath of fresh air."

"That she is." I pause momentarily. "Guess what?"

"Hmm?"

"You're back in our room. I think this is the first time you've been back in here for longer than two minutes. It's certainly the first time you've been back in bed."

"Huh, I guess you're right. It still feels a little weird, but I guess it's not as bad as I thought it would be."

"See? You're making progress. Little steps."

"Little steps." My wife reiterates. Slowly, but surely we'll get through this.

 **Thanks for reading and thank you to musicforsoul for really helping me out with this chapter.**

 **AN: Just wanted to say thank to the people who left comments/reviews on the last chapter. It was hard to write, but all of you were very supportive and understanding. I promise happier times ahead, but the girls have to work through this situation right now. Anyway, thank you!**


	15. Chapter 15

I don't own anything…all credit goes to ABC/Shondaland

 **AN: Sorry for the delay. I was sick and in no position to write. Anyway, I much better so here's the next chapter!**

Chapter Fifteen

Callie's POV

"Got everything?"

"Yep. Keys, phone, and wallet." I check the time on the oven clock and notice I need to get going to pick up Addison on time from the airport. "What are you guys up to today?"

"Well given that it's all of our last day of freedom, we'll probably just lounge around." Arizona goes back to work tomorrow and Noah and Sofia start a new school year. I, on the other hand, have a few more days off before I have to return to work. "What about you and Addison?"

"Probably go out to breakfast and maybe come back here. I'm sure she'd love to see you and the kids."

"She should stay for dinner. I can whip up something for us." She takes another sip of her orange juice and pops a few grapes in her mouth.

"Yeah. Actually if you wouldn't mind I think I'd like to cook. I haven't done that in a while and I miss it."

"That'd be great, Calliope. After I wrangle the kids we're headed to the store to pick up stuff for their school lunches so just text me what you need."

"Sounds good. I should really get going. Traffic around the airport can get pretty heavy."

"Okay. Drive safe." I give her a kiss on the cheek and when I pull away she gives me a confused look.

"What?"

"Nothing." Clearly it's something.

"Seriously, what is it?"

"Nothing…"

"Arizona."

"It's just…you've been doing that a lot lately."

"Doing what?"

"Giving me kisses on the cheek." She says shyly. "And there's nothing wrong with that, but you just haven't kissed me on the lips in a few days. I normally wouldn't notice stuff like that because it happens so regularly, but you kinda just stopped doing it."

"What are you talking about? I kiss you all the time."

"Callie, you haven't kissed me goodnight in three nights. Ever since the miss—"

"Please don't say it." I quickly interject. That word just gives me flashbacks. I still need time to process everything that happened.

"Okay…ever since the night of the hospital it's just been cheek kisses or nothing."

"Look, can we talk about the ways I kiss you later. I really need to go."

"Well when you say it like that it sounds so sexy." She spews out sarcastically with an eye roll. "Go, I don't want you to be late." Out of everything that's going on in my mind right now the ways I kiss my wife isn't on the top of the list. I decide to just drop the topic for now and leave. I make it to the hospital in time and spot my favorite tall, red head waiting outside with her head buried in her phone.

"Need a ride, hot stuff?" I ask pulling up beside her and rolling down the window.

"Oh look, my own chauffeur. Just what I wanted." She replies. "Help me with my bag will you?" I park the car temporarily and hop out to greet my friend with a big hug.

"It's so good to see you, Addie."

"You too, Callie. I'm so, so sorry."

"Thanks." I throw her bag in the trunk and we head to one of my favorite diners. The car ride is filled with small talk mostly about work and stuff going on in her life. Once we're at the diner we are quickly seated and immediately order two cups of coffee.

"You know I'm usually pretty good at handling stuff like this. God knows how much it happens at the hospital on a daily basis, but right now I'm struggling on where to begin so I brought some pamphlets we have at the hospital." She digs into her purse and pulls out multiple pamphlets with self care tips and how to get through a loss. I can tell she's nervous and a little unsure of how to proceed.

"Addie, Addie relax."

"I'm sorry, Callie. I just…when you called me the other day I'd never heard you like that before. I felt so bad, but I just knew I had to see you. You're my best friend and I've never felt so hopeless before. I didn't even know you two were trying. Not to mention your grandfather passed like a week or so ago."

"Yeah, these late few weeks haven't been easy."

"How are you really doing? Seriously. What's going on with you?"

"I don't know. I'm trying to make sense of it all. I know I wasn't that far along, but it still hurts."

"It could've been four weeks or four months. It doesn't matter."

"I know that. I think also the way it happened made it worse. I had horrible cramps and a massive headache that wouldn't go away. And then the blood. We're doctors, we can handle blood, but it was something different."

"Of course it was. It was _your_ blood. How are you by the way, physically?"

"I'm okay. I had a D&C and it went smoothly. My doctor said I was physically fit to try again, but I haven't thought about that once yet."

"Of course, of course." Our waiter comes over and takes our orders and refills our coffee cups.

"I was looking at cribs online. Even thinking of baby names for a boy or girl."

"All totally normal stuff, Callie."

"I pictured Sofia and Noah looking over their new little sibling. Bringing them into the hospital room and meeting him or her for the first time. I had just been so happy, you know? Arizona and me…like everything was perfect for us. Maybe too perfect, but it didn't matter cause we were so happy and in love. Two perfect kids and two happy parents. That's the dream, right?"

"That's what they sell in the movies, yeah. How she's doing by the way?"

"Honestly, I don't really know. She seems like she's doing okay."

"Have you guys talked about it?"

"No. I can't talk about it with her. It's too hard."

"Callie, you have to talk to your wife." Addison reaches her hand across the table and takes mine. "I know she's hurting too."

"I will."

"You can't go through this alone. You don't have to. This type of stuff can break up relationships and marriages. I don't want that for you guys. You two are literally too perfect for each other." She laughs trying to lighten the mood.

"Trust me, I know. I think this is the most we've been tested as a couple."

"It very well may be. You'll both come out stronger once you get through this. I promise."

"It' just…when I look at her I just see her in the corner of the ER room crying from that night. She was sobbing and yelling 'no, no, no'. I let her down. This our was dream and I ruined it."

"Callie Torres, stop it." She leans in and looks me straight in the eyes. "You know you didn't ruin anything. I know that, you know that and most importantly Arizona knows that." She's right. It's just taking me a while to actually believe it. I let out a loud sigh and pull back a little. I look around the diner and it doesn't appear to be too many people in here right now. I guess we missed the morning rush.

"You've bee doing that for almost an hour?"

"Doing what?" I ask thoroughly confused.

"That." She points at my hand. "You've been fidgeting with your wedding ring ever since I got in the car…almost as if you want to take it off." Sure enough when I look at my fingers I notice I am toying with my ring and rolling the metal band around. "Seriously Callie, before all of this was everything alright between you and Arizona? I know you said it was 'too perfect', but you also used lots of past tense like 'we _were_ happy'. Was there something going on before all of this happened?"

"What? No! Of course not." I quickly refute. "I guess I'm just fidgety, that's all. I love Arizona and we're going to spend the rest of our lives together. I know she's it for me. I could never leave her. Yeah, it's been a rough couple of days, but it's just a test. Marriages go through tests and challenges. God wouldn't give me anything I couldn't handle."

"God, huh?" Addison tilts her head to the side questioningly.

"Yeah, God. I went to church and talked with a priest. I think maybe it would be good for me to go back to church more often. Take the kids and stuff."

"Hey, I'm all for you doing whatever you need to do." My best friend states supportively. "People turn to other things during times like this. It's not at all uncommon."

"Funny you mention that. Arizona that I was going to become an alcoholic cause she caught me three cups into some wine the other night."

"You know how to control yourself. That's never been an issue for you."

"I know that, but she was worried I guess. Then this morning she mentioned I haven't kissed her in a few days."

"Well have you?"

"She just said it's been all kisses on the cheek. Nothing more intimate than that. I just haven't been in the mood lately. Can you blame me?"

"No, but clearly she's missing that part of you. Some kind of connection. Look, I know the baby was in you physically, but she lost a kid too. I know you think talking to her will be too hard, but maybe it's what she needs right now."

"Once again you're right."

"I always am." She smirks.

"So on a scale of one to ten, how good of a wife am I right now?"

"Hmmm…" She's say eyeing me closely. "I'd say a five…possibly six. Based solely on what you told me."

"A five, huh?"

"That's my medical opinion."

"You're ridiculous you know that? I guess I gotta step up my game." I joke as she takes another sip of her coffee. "Let's order some food, shall we?"

"Yes please!" We talk and eat for another hour before getting in my car, making a quick stop and returning home.

"Sofia! Noah! Come downstairs. I have a surprise." I yell up the stairs after Addison and I walk inside. Within seconds I hear little feet running down the hall and steps.

"What is it?" Sofia asks.

"A toy?" Noah questions on his way down.

"Oh I'm way better than any toy. Come give me a hug you crazy kids!" Addison greets them.

"Aunt Addie! Aunt Addie!" They almost tackle her to the ground, but she's able to steady herself. "What are you doing here?"

"I came for a little visit." She kneels down to their level and gives them each a hug and kiss.

"Did you bring gifts?"

"Noah, you know better than to ask that" I lightly scold.

"I don't have any toys, but I think I have some money." She takes out her wallet and gives them each twenty dollars. "You kids like cash right?"

"Uh-huh, uh-huh" They nod their heads eagerly and wave the money around.

"Seriously, Addison? Money." A typical Montgomery move.

"Well I didn't have anything else." She shrugs off.

"Guys, where is mommy?"

"Upstairs." They both answer, but not really giving me any attention.

"Hey, can you watch them for a second? While I…"

"Got it." She waves me off and is immediately bombarded with questions for Sofia and Noah. I climb the stairs and head into our bedroom.

"Arizona?"

"In the bathroom. I'll be out in a sec." I take a sit on the bed and pull the pamphlets Addie gave me out of my bag. I think they are kind of useless, but maybe Arizona might like them.

"Calliope." She greets me coming out of the en suite. "Did I hear Addison downstairs?"

"Yes, you did babe." As she walks past me I tug on her wrist and pull her back towards me. She's surprised by my action, but I continue to pull her down towards me until she straddles my lap. This is the closest we've been in a few days and we're both a little unsure of everything.

"Calliope, what are you doing?" She asks quietly.

"Remember when we first started to live together? We'd be so excited to see one another when we came home. Sometimes I would just pull you down into my lap and kiss all over you."

"Mhmm, I do." She loosely puts her arms on my shoulders and encircles my neck. "We'd talk, kiss, and sometimes sneak in a little more before Sofia would gurgle over the baby monitor."

"We even got caught my Mark once or twice."

"I'm sure he loved that." She chuckles. Man, I've missed that laugh. I didn't realize how much until just now. A few strands of her blonde hair fall in her face and I gently tuck them back behind her ear. Her smile falters and her face takes on a more concerned look.

"Callie, what is it?" I can't seem for form my words so I just kiss her. It starts out light, but quickly becomes more heated. I've missed this. She's missed this. I wrap my arms around her waist and pull her closer to me. Her tongue seeks permission into my mouth and I don't even think twice before giving in. The sweet, familiar taste of my wife only entices me as I move my hands under her shirt and up her back. We only break for air when she leans back to allow me to pull her shirt up and off her and she does the same to me. She runs her soft hands over my chest and I do the same to her. Our mouths reconnect and we tongue-tango again until oxygen becomes a necessity. We lean our foreheads against each other and the sounds of our heavy breathing fill the room.

"How was breakfast?" She asks breaking the silence.

"Good." Out of the corner of my eye I spot the pamphlets I put to the side and grab them. "I got these." I offer them to her and she briefly looks over them before tossing them to the side.

"I don't want these. I don't need these. I need you, Calliope. I need my wife right now."

"I'm right here, Arizona. I promise you I'm here." I plead with her. I need her to really understand me because it's true. I haven't been the best lately, but I want her to know she's not alone.

"I don't want you to say those things if you don't mean it. You can't just come in here and kiss me like that and go back to how you were. Around the kids you're all happy and smiley, but when it's just us sometimes I feel like I lose you."

"You're not losing me. I'm right here. I'm right fucking here and that's not going to change. Promise."

"When are we…when are we going to talk? Cause as much as I love kissing you, I do have some things to say…" She says as she runs her fingers over my bra strap. "…some things to really talk about."

"I know. Just give me a day or two. Then we can talk all you want." She nods her head and I give her another kiss. Nothing too much this time, but it still does the trick. "I must've been really losing it if I haven't been kissing you on your mouth lately. I can't get enough of your lips. They're very soft."

"That's what I've been told." She teases and my jealously antenna goes up just a little.

"Yeah by me and only me, missy. Only I get to kiss you."

"Only you." The warmth of her closeness dissipates as she leaves my lap and retrieves her shirt off the ground. "You guys got back quicker than I assumed. I was getting ready to leave for the store."

"Well go ahead. Addie and I can stay with the kids. Shopping with them is never easy. They always just put random things into the cart."

"Gosh, I know." She passes me my shirt and I put it on and straighten myself out. "Let's go down. I'm excited to see Addie."

"Good, she's been talking non-stop about you." Coming up behind her as she checks herself out in the mirror, l rest my chin on her shoulder. "So we're good?"

"We're better." She responds truthfully and I can accept that. We head out of our room and downstairs, but no one is there.

"Basement?" It's the only other place they can be because I don't see them out back.

"Here that? Sounds like a little dance party downstairs." Arizona says leading the way to the basement. When we get down there I see my two kids dancing their little butts off on top of my pool table while Addison is just snapping away pictures.

"Sofia. Noah. Get down please." Arizona says much to their dismay.

"But mommy we're dancing!" Sofia cheers.

"Yeah, they're dancing!" Addison says turning around. "Arizona!" She hugs my wife hello and I help Noah and Sofia off the table.

"You know you're not allowed up here, kiddos. You could fall and get hurt." I wipe their little feet marks off the table. "Do you even know who you're dancing too?"

"Aunt Addie said Beyoncè."

"You've got my kids dancing to Beyoncè, Addison?" Arizona asks turning down the volume.

"It was all I had on my phone, besides she's amazing. Anyway, how are you doing?"

"I'm fine." Arizona answers fast and decides to change the subject. "You're staying with us for dinner, right? Callie is cooking."

"Of course I'll stay. I love me a classic Torres dish."

"Good. Well I'm headed out. I'll be back later." She walks back up the basement stairs and my best friend gives me a look of contemplation.

"Soooooo? I didn't hear any yelling or crying before we came down here. How did it go?"

"It went alright. We made some progress I think."

"Good."

"Mama, can we have juice party with Aunt Addie?" Sof begs pulling on my leg.

"Sure! Let's do it!"

"What's a juice party?"

"It's like a tea party, but with juice." I answer. "Noah thought a tea party was too girly so we call it a juice party" I whisper towards Addie.

"Got it. Well let's have a juice party then!" The rest of the late morning and early afternoon was spent playing around the house with the kids. Arizona picked up some ingredients for a homemade cake so we pitched in and made it together. By the time I started making dinner the kids were watching some television while us adults talked in the kitchen. After dinner and dessert I drove Addison to her hotel and made it back in time for bedtime stories.

First day of school! Sofia is starting first grade and this will be Noah's first day of classes at a new school. No more daycare for him. I'm going to miss just running up and peaking on him in daycare at the hospital. It was comforting having him so close. It's also Arizona's first day of classes. It's crazy to think that just six years ago she was moving in across the hall from me and beginning her first year of teaching and now we're married and sending our kids off to school. Probably couldn't have planned it better if I tried.

"Sofia, time to wake up." I softly whisper against her door before I walk in.

"I'm up, mama!" She answers with a burst of perkiness to my surprise. "It's the first day of school!"

"I know it's a big day." Reaching her closet, I pull out her uniform shirt and skirt and lay it out for her. "You excited?"

"Uh-huh, I get to see all my friends again."

"Yeah, that should be fun. Can you do me a favor and brush your teeth and wash your face while I get your brother up?"

"Okay. Can mommy do my hair?"

"I'm sure she will. She's in the shower right now, but if you're all dressed and ready by the time she's done she can do it."

"Yayy!"

"I'll be in Noah's room if you need me. Get started on those teeth, missy." It appears Noah doesn't have the same enthusiasm as his sister because he's still snuggled deep in bed.

"Noah…time to wake up." Kneeling down next to his bed, I lightly shake his little body and he rolls over to face me. "Good morning, buddy. Ready to get up?"

"No…Me sleepy mama."

"I know you are, but you gotta get up. Time for school!"

"Noooo." He whines. This is going to be more difficult than I originally thought. "Don't wanna go."

"Yes you do. It'll be fun. We talked about this, remember? You'll make new friends and play really fun games."

"No mama. I wanna stay home."

"You can't stay home, buddy. Come on, let me help you get ready." I pull back his covers and he reluctantly gets out of bed and throws himself on me. I pick him and carry him around the room with me as get out all his clothes for the day. I help him wash up and brush his teeth before putting on his uniform.

"Arms up!" He lefts his little arms above his head as I pull over his polo shirt. "There we go. Good job."

"How's it coming in here?" Arizona asks stepping into the room. "Well don't you look handsome, Noah?" He just shrugs as I help him put his pants on.

"Noah, doesn't mommy look pretty this morning?" I say examining my wife's outfit. She's wearing a black pencil skirt and a floral-themed blouse with light curls in her hair. "I think mommy looks very pretty this morning. You know it's also her first day of school too."

"Really?" He asks looking to my wife.

"Yep." She says coming over and sitting on Noah's bed. "You know I get a little nervous too on my first day."

"Why?"

"Well because everything is so new." She opens her arms for Noah and he crawls into her lap. "But when I get nervous I just think about you, mama, and Sof and I get to come home to you guys everyday. So if you get nervous just think about us, okay?"

"Okay."

"Alright my little handsome man, you head down to the kitchen. I'll be down in a sec to get your breakfast ready."

"I want Cheerios!" He says on his way out.

"Cheerios, got it!" Arizona says standing up. "So how is he? Really?"

"He doesn't seem that excited. He wanted to stay home today."

"Aww, my poor baby. Nerves are okay, they're expected. He'll be fine. I bet by lunch time he'll have a few friends."

"I hope so. Wait, so do you really still get nerves on the first day? You're a fantastic teacher."

"It's not the teaching part I get nervous about. It's the students. Teenagers are fucking scary, Calliope" She deadpans. "They can be very intimidating. You try standing in front of a class of twenty emotional and judgmental teens and teaching them."

"I don't know, babe. I think if I were one of your students I'd get distracted by how attractive you are." She blushes and lightly swats me, but I kiss her anyway. "Alright, I've got to check on Sof."

"I already did before I came in here. I did her hair and she's down watching cartoons."

"Oh, okay. Perfect. Well you get breakfast started and I'll pack their lunches."

"Sounds good. We have to make sure we get a picture of them together on their first day. My mom would kill me if I didn't send her one."

"Same with Aria."

"Mommyyyyy, I'm hungry!" Sofia yells.

"I guess that's my cue, huh?"

"It would appear so." I say exiting the room. "Mommy's coming, Sof." I reply. Breakfast is eaten, lunches are packed, and tons of pictures are snapped within thirty minutes the whole family is out of the house. Being that it's the first day of school we decided to each drive to school to drop them off before Arizona went to work and I go meet up with Addie.

"Alright, who's first?" I ask as we walk into the school together. Noah is holding Arizona's hand while I have Sof's.

"Me! Me! Me! I'm first." Sofia cheers.

"Okay, it looks like we're going to Sofia's classroom first." The building is filled with parents and students looking for the right classroom; it's total first day of school chaos.

"Look, Sof. Here's your name." Arizona points to a classroom door with her name written on a paper butterfly cutout. "This must be your classroom." Once inside I notice familiar faces of kids and parents that were in Sof's class last year.

"Hi, I'm Ms. Marie." A young woman greets us. "Who do we have here?"

"I'm Sofia Sloan Torres. This is my brother Noah Caleb Torres. This is my mama and that's my mommy." Sofia spews out excitedly as she introduces us.

"Well it's a pleasure to meet you, Sofia. I'm so happy to have you in my class this year."

"Thanks."

"I'm Callie." I say shaking the teachers hand. "And that's Arizona."

"Very nice to meet you ladies. How about I show you to Sofia's cubby." Ms. Marie leads the way over to the cubby section of the room and gives us some space as she goes to greet the other parents and students.

"Mommy, look! My name is on my cubby!"

"It is! Pretty neat, huh?"

"Yeah." Sofia looks around the room and notices some of the other kids sitting around coloring with each other. "I wanna color."

"You can color too. Can we get a hug first before we leave?"

"Bye mommy." She says wrapping Arizona up. "By mama."

"Be good okay?" I brush some of her hair back and straighten out her uniform one more time for good measure. "Listen to your teacher, okay?"

"I will, mama."

"Good. I love you."

"Love you too. Bye Noah."

"Bye Sof." He waves before she scurries off. We say goodbye to the teacher and head to Noah's classroom. It's much different than Sofia's because we don't know any of the parents here. At the hospital daycare everyone pretty much knew each other.

"I think we're here, Noah." Arizona says as we enter his classroom. He continues his quiet morning and shy behavior as he tries to hide behind Arizona's legs.

"Good morning, ladies." A young man with brunette hair welcomes us. "I'm Mr. Rick."

"Hi. I'm Arizona and this is my wife Calliope." She starts, "And this shy little guy is Noah Torres."

"Well hello there, Noah." He says crouching down. "I'm Mr. Rick. Can I get a high five?" Noah stares at his new teacher for a few seconds before finally clapping his hand against the teachers. "Alright! Do you want to see your new cubby?"

"Okay." He mumbles and grabs both of ours hands and pulls us along.

"You can get all set up here, Noah. Let me know if you guys need anything." Mr. Rick says excusing himself.

"Your teacher seems nice, buddy." I help him take off his backpack and hang it up for him.

"Yeah."

"Remember your lunch is in your bag, okay?"

"Mhmm." He nods timidly. "Mommy pick me up today?"

"Not today, but mama will be here." Arizona answers.

"Yeah, and Aunt Addie will be here too. What do you say after school we go to the park? Maybe get some ice cream too. Does that sound good?"

"Yeah!" His little face lights up at the mention of his favorite sweet treat.

"Well mommy has to get to school too. Can I have a hug bye?"

"Bye mommy." Noah gives Arizona a big hug goodbye and I'm pretty certain I saw a tear fall from her eye, but she wipes it away fast.

"I love you, you know what?" She says smoothing his hair and trying to buy a few extra seconds with our son.

"Yeah."

"Good." She gives him one last kiss before standing up and flattening out skirt.

"You okay?" I whisper to her.

"Yeah, I'm fine."

"You sure?"

"Yes…I think. He's our little boy and it's his first day of school. No more daycare. And what if…never mind."

"No, what is it?"

"It's nothing." She says dismissively.

"Arizona…" I step closer to her and take a hand of hers. "What is it?"

"Well what if he's our last one, Calliope."

"Oh."

"Sorry, sorry. I shouldn't have said anything about that right now."

"No it's okay. Um…"

"Never mind. It's just…he's growing up so fast. They both are."

"I know, sweetie. I know." I run my hands over her arms and bring her in for a hug.

"I'm going to be a mess if I don't leave soon. I'll be fine. I need to get going anyway before I'm late."

"Alright. Well I don't want you to be late. Text me later. I'll just be hanging with Addison all day."

"Okay."

"Have a good day. Love you."

"Love you too." I give a quick kiss and she bends down to give Noah another one before leaving the room and I take a seat on the ground next to him.

"Mama, stay with me?" I glance around the room and notice some of the other parents are still in the room with their kids.

"Of course I'll stay for a little bit." I ended up staying for another half an hour before all the parents were asked to leave. I made my way over to Addison's hotel and stopped at Starbucks along the way to pick us up some coffee. I quietly entered my best friends hotel room and kicked off my shoes before pulling open curtains and letting the bright sunlight in.

"What the hell?" She groans rubbing her eyes.

"Rise and shine, princess!"

"And how in the hell did you get into my room?"

"It's amazing the strings I can pull being the owner of the hotel." I pass her a cup of coffee as she sits up in bed.

"You don't own the hotel, your dad does."

"Same difference. And just to clarify I own ten perfect of all T Hotels." I brag selflessly.

"Yeah, yeah…you rich people are all the same."

"You would know wouldn't you Ms. Forbes Montgomery." I jab right back lightheartedly.

"Fair enough. Why are you here so early?"

"I just left the kids school."

"Ah, I see. Is that why your eyes are a little puffy?"

"Maybe…" She calls my bluff. "Okay, fine yes. I cried in the car. Sofia is starting first grade and this is Noah's first real school. No more daycare and alphabet blocks."

"Does someone need a hug?"

"Yes." Addie pats the seat next to her and I crawl into bed with her. "Bring it in." She opens her arms wide and I fall into her awaiting embrace.

"You just wait until you have children, Addison. Then you'll know exactly what I feeling."

"I believe you one hundred percent, kid."

"So what are we doing today?"

"I don't know. What do you wanna do? I'm on your schedule. I just came to be the supportive best friend."

"Well I have to pick up the kids in the afternoon and I figure we take them to get some ice cream and to the park afterwards."

"I'm down for that, but what should we do before then?"

"We should have a spa day! The hotel has a great spa and I could book us something. Massages…facials…everything. Then we could go out to lunch and maybe window shop a little."

"I like the way you think, Torres! Do me a favor and schedule it for later. I need another hour or so of beauty rest." She says snuggling deeper into the bed and under the covers.

"Got it." I take out my phone to set a alarm so we don't sleep in too late and I notice a text from Arizona.

 ** _the craziest thing happened this morning. when I got into my classroom there was a big bouquet of flowers waiting for me. obviously I was shocked. When I read the card it was signed from you and the kids._**

 _Well do you like the flowers?_ I wasn't expecting her to respond so fast, but as soon as I send my message I notice a little typing bubble.

 ** _Of course I like them! Thank you, Calliope!_**

 _you're welcome. I thought they'd be a nice way to start the new school year._

 ** _They are! I love them and I love you! I'll see you at home._**

 _Love you too._

"She got the flowers." I tell my best friend.

"Hey, that's good news. That was a smart idea of you." On our way home from breakfast yesterday we stopped in a floral shop and I put in an order of flowers to be delivered to Arizona's work for her first day. It's not a huge gesture, but just another reminder that I love her, I'm thankful for her, and I'm always thinking about her even when it seems that I'm not. "Callie, can you do me a favor?"

"I'm not going to cuddle with you, Addie." I tease.

"No, that's what I have Josh for. I need you to get up and close the curtains. I can't go back to sleep with all that light in here."

"Fine." I reluctantly get up and close the curtains before getting back into bed with Addison. It turns out I kept hitting the snooze button on the alarm and we ended sleeping in later than expected. We still made it to the spa and had massages and facials before going out on the town for lunch. Our window-shopping was cut short cause we had to run over to the school to pick up Sofia and Noah. On the way to the ice cream shop and the park they told us all about their first day. It seems Noah warmed up over the course of the day and had a really good time. Sofia naturally had a good time. I'm beginning to think she really enjoys school, it's probably cause of Arizona. We've been at the part for about twenty minutes now and Sof and Noah are running all around and climbing all over equipment while Addie and I keep a watchful eye on them from a distance

"Can I ask you something, Callie?"

"Go for it."

"I know it might be too soon to think about, but do you think you'll try again?"

"Gosh, wow…I don't know." Running a hand through my hair I start to think about the loaded question.

"Sorry, you don't have to answer and it's really none of my business."

"No, it's okay that you asked. I just haven't thought about it. I do know when I was in that hospital after the D&C I knew I never wanted to go through that again. I said to myself I was done. Of course it was a very emotional time for me and Arizona and I hadn't talked about it, but I made the decision anyway."

"Has that changed?"

"I'm honestly not sure. When Arizona and I first talked about kids we talked about having two or three together. Then Noah came and we suddenly had two kids under three and it was a lot. I mean it still is, but in those early days it was crazy. It really put things in perspective for us. I had troubling balancing work and being home, and Arizona got promoted and had more responsibility at work. It took us a while to find our groove, but we did and things were really good. I was content on having two kids. I mean look at them, they're happy and healthy." I say glancing towards my kids who are taking turns going down a slide.

"They're really great, Callie."

"I know and that's all I could ask for. But then we started talking about another one and fast forward some months and I was pregnant. We were thrilled. I was really excited to have another one. My health had improved and I just knew Sof and Noah would make great big siblings. Next thing I know life happened and here we are. So now I don't know."

"Well you don't have to make any decisions right away. From a medical standpoint you and I both know women who have miscarriages go on to have perfectly healthy full-term pregnancies. Maybe Arizona could try? You still think she wants another?"

"Yeah, I think she really does and she offered this time to carry, but I wanted to try again. We'd have to talk about it and figure out how to move forward if we decide to. She's always been very supportive and a part of me wants to give her another kid. I want her to be happy and I think she has a little pressure from her parents."

"I'm all for making you making your wife happy, but you can't just do it for her or your in-laws for that matter."

"Of course I'd be happy as well. It's just the process of everything. What if she gets pregnant, but there are complications? Or what if she gets in a car accident? What if—"

"You'll drive yourself crazy playing the 'what-if' game." Addison says interrupting me. "Take your time and figure it out. They are tons of medical advances to your benefit. There's also adoption and surrogacy. So many options for couples. And like you said, maybe Sof and Noah are it and that's okay too."

"Right now I just want to give my body a rest."

"Totally understandable. Hey, do you notice that Sof and Noah are running over to us."

"Ready to be attacked?" I smile to her knowingly. "Just get ready."

"What?" Poor Addison, she's confused and has no idea what's about to hit her, literally.

"Just wait in three…two…one!" They both jump on us and luckily for the heads up from Addie I was able to catch Noah.

"Mama!" Noah yells flinging himself on me as Sofia does the same to Addie.

"Gosh, you're getting heavy kid. How's my boy doing? You having fun at the park?" I ask kissing all over his face.

"Mama, mama stop." He says giggling and wiggling around.

"Mama, can you and Aunt Addie push us on the swings?" Sofia asks. "Pleaseeee."

"I'd love to push you, miss Sofia. I can push you really high in the sky."

"Push me, mama!" Noah says getting off me and trying to pull me up. "I wanna get high!" Addie just starts laughing and Noah thinks he said the funniest thing, not realizing the other meaning behind his words.

"Well come on, Callie. Your kids want to get high. You can let them down."

"I wanna get high! I wanna get high!" Sofia and Noah sing together as we walk to the swings.

"And the mother of the year award goes to…Callie Torres!" Addie teases and throws her head back in laughter and amusement.

"Thank you, thank you very much." I laugh right back.

 **AN: Thanks for reading and as usual thanks to musicforsoul for helping. I think someone commented on Arizona's perspective on the situation. I totally plan on addressing that in the next chapter. This chapter got long so I decided to break it up. Anyway, let me know what you think.**


	16. Chapter 16

I don't own anything…all credit goes to ABC/Shondaland.

 **Hope you enjoy!**

Chapter Sixteen

Arizona's POV

I'm not quite sure how I got here; I just came into my office to check something on my computer. Next thing I know I'm taking bags out of my closet full of baby clothes and folding them. Unfolding then refolding again for almost an hour. Something about it is kind of therapeutic. Different thoughts flood my memory about what could have been. I can't help but picture what our baby would've looked like. I try and shake those thoughts because they make me sad again for our loss and I don't want to cry or feel sad anymore. Either way, baby clothes are adorable and I really need to do something with these. I don't think I'll need them anymore, or at least not for a while. Maybe I can give them to Teddy. Perhaps I should donate them.

"Arizona?" Crap. I hear my wife knock on the door and I quickly try to put things away. I thought she went to bed after putting the kids down. Of course she knows about the clothes, but I'm not sure of if seeing them again after everything will trigger some emotions for her. "Arizona, can I come in?"

"Uh, just a sec." I frantically stuff clothes away. All of my perfect folds disappear as I try to just get rid of everything.

"Babe, are you okay in here? I hear lots of noise."

"Yeah, I just uh…"

"Okay, I'm just going to come in and—" Callie comes in and catches me stuffing shopping bags. I feel like Sofia when she gets caught taking cookies from the cabinet when she's not supposed to. Callie's eyes dart between the bags and mine on the floor. Her face looks completely dejected and I feel horrible. "What's going on in here?" She asks very cautiously.

"Nothing, nothing…I was just putting away some stuff that's all."

"Not just any stuff, baby stuff."

"You know I was thinking I give them to Teddy or something since we won't—"

"Since we won't be needing them anymore."

"Yeah." I reply softly. She comes further into the room, closing the door behind her, and takes a seat next to me on the couch. She takes a light green onesie out of a bag and runs her hands over the soft material.

"I bet she would've looked really cute in this." She says grinning at the clothes in her lap.

"She?"

"Or he." Callie replies evenly.

"You know I was kind of hoping for a boy." I confess. "Poor Noah has so many women in his life. Another boy would be nice to try and even the score, ya know?"

"Boy or girl, whatever God gave us I would be happy with."

"Can I ask you something?"

"Go for it."

"If God is so perfect then why—" My voice cracks a little. I didn't realize I'd be this emotional right now, but here I am struggling over my words. "…why did He take our kid away from us?"

"I don't know, Arizona. I've been trying to understand that myself. Talking to a priest gave me some perspective. Maybe you should try that."

"No, that's not for me. You know I don't believe in that stuff, and after what's happened to us I honestly don't know how you still can." I think my words came out too spiteful then I intended, but deep down its how I'm really feeling.

"Look, I'm sorry you don't understand, but I have to believe in something."

"Believe in me, Callie!" I shoot up from the couch and begin pacing my office. Callie's eyes widen at my raised voice, but she just sits there quietly. "Believe in us. Believe in our marriage."

"I do, Arizona. Of course I do. I just need something more."

"I don't get it. You need something more than me?"

"No, it's not like that. I just need to believe that God has a plan for us. I may not understand it, but I have to believe He has a greater plan for us going forward. Maybe we weren't meant to have a kid right now."

"That's bull, Calliope and you know it. Why give us something and then take it away? What sense does that make?"

"I don't know, okay? I'm sorry." Callie's eyes begin to water and soon a few tears roll down her face. I immediately stop my pacing and go sit at her side.

"Calliope, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to yell."

"No, it's okay. It's not you. I guess I just thought I was past the crying part." She says wiping away her tears. "You can keep yelling if you want." She jokes.

"I wouldn't want to wake the kids." I tease right back. "I don't want to yell. I just want to talk."

"I'm all ears."

"I feel like I got lost in the shuffle a little bit. I'm not saying it was your intention, but after the hospital you closed up. Then Addison was here. I love her dearly, but I didn't think it was the right time for her to come. I didn't want to say no cause it seems like it was what you needed and wanted. I just felt left out. It was the priest, then Addie, and then you started spending all this extra time with the kids. I just felt like I was the last person you were going to. I lost a baby too. I was devastated and hurt just like you. I still am."

"I just have my own way of dealing with things. I wanted to talk to you first, but I couldn't."

"Why not?"

"Because it's too hard. I feel like I let you down and our family. I mean our own baby rejected me."

"Calliope, that's not true." I try and comfort her, but she pulls away.

"Yes it is! However you look at it our baby couldn't survive inside of me. It was easier to talk to other people because they weren't as close to the situation as you. When I close my eyes at night I just picture your face at the hospital. You looked distraught and scared and it was because of me. I never wanted to make you feel that way."

"It's not just you, Calliope. Do you even know how helpless I felt?" I ask rhetorically staring into her brown eyes. "There was nothing I could do to save our baby. Nothing. Just imagine if something happened to Noah or Sofia and you couldn't do anything about it. That's how I felt. I just stood there watching as people were working on you. Hell, I thought I might have lost you. I don't care how selfish it sounds, but I rather lose the baby than you. I feel guilty for saying that, but it's true." We sit there mulling over each other's words. I think we both got out what we needed to say and now it's just a matter of reflection and going forward.

"If there was a decision to be made, and I know there wasn't this time, but if there was I would want you to save the baby before me." Callie states softly.

"Please don't even talk like that." I say dismissively. I don't even want to think about being in that position.

"Arizona, I'm serious I just—"

"Calliope, I love you, but please shut up." I don't care how harsh that sounds, but I'm not going to let her talk like she's dying or making me choose. I guess we were lucky in the sense that we didn't have to deal with that. "Let's go to bed." I don't want to do anymore talking tonight, especially not about this. Only time will heal everything.

"Okay." Taking me hand, Callie leads us out of my office and down the hall to our bedroom. The next morning went by fast as Callie got the kids ready and off to school and I went to work. Three classes down and it was time for lunch with my best friend in my classroom.

"So, how's the new year coming along?" Teddy asks taking a bite of her sandwich.

"Well it's only been three days and I'm already stressed." I reply kicking my feet up on my desk and munching on some leftover pasta. "We got new textbooks this year and I have to make brand new lesson plans."

"Yeah, that sounds like it sucks."

"It does. Hey, is Addison still in town? I'd love to say hi to her. She's a fun person I really like her."

"You know I think Callie dropped her off at the airport this morning."

"Damn, I just missed her. Maybe next time."

"Yeah, maybe. You know you're really starting to show." I say pointing my fork at her stomach. She's about four months right now and her baby belly is making its presence known.

"I know. Henry takes a side profile picture of me once a week so we can see how much I'm starting to change."

"Awww, that's really cute." A part of me is a little envious of Teddy's pregnancy, but I'm truly happy for her and Henry. I haven't told her about Callie's miscarriage because I don't want to make her uncomfortable or anything. Besides, I'm not sure who I want to tell, if anyone, besides Tim.

"Excuse me, I have a delivery for an Arizona Robbins." A young woman says entering my classroom.

"Yeah, that's me." Getting up, I take the bouquet of flowers and quickly sign my name before returning to my desk.

"Wow, two flower deliveries in three days. I'm jealous." The first time I was pleasantly surprised, but this time I have an inkling of why I got another delivery. "Yellow daises. I'm really jealous. If they aren't from your wife you must have a secret admirer. Teddy laughs.

"No secret admirer, these are from Callie. I can already tell." I smile to myself at how thoughtful my wife is, even with everything going on.

"Well read the card!"

"Fine, fine. It says, 'Five years ago today you made me the happiest and luckiest person on earth. Through thick and thin you're always there and I can't thank you enough. I love you, I love you, I love you. Will you go out with me tonight? Signed, your wife, Calliope.'" I finish reading it and I see Teddy tearing up.

"Are you crying?"

"I'm just really emotional right now," Teddy says between sniffles "…and that was so sweet."What happened five years ago?"

"Callie and I got married at the courthouse."

"Wait…I thought you got married in December. Remember, the whole winter wonderland theme?"

"Of course I remember, Teds, but that was kind of for show. For friends and family. We got married legally in the fall."

"No shit. Really?"

"Uh-huh. I thought I told you that."

"I don't think so. Is that why you're wearing your big, fancy ring today?" She asks acknowledging my hand with a little smirk "It's hard to miss."

"Yeah, today was a special occasion so I thought I'd slip it on."

"I don't get why you don't were it all the time. It's gorgeous."

"I know, I love it I really do. It's just, without sounding pretentious, it's really big."

"Yeah, no kidding. Well you have to respond."

"What?"

"She asked you to go out tonight. You should text her."

"Oh right, of course!" I grab my phone off my desk and send her a quick message.

 _Yes, I'll go out with you tonight._

"What did you get her?" Teddy asks while reading the card over once more.

"Hamilton tickets in New York."

"Really? Those things go for like thousands of dollars."

"Trust me I know, they cost a pretty penny, but it's worth it. We could really use a weekend trip to New York." My phone buzzes with Callie's reply.

 **You got the flowers! Yay! I have a sitter. Be home by 6?**

 _Got it. Where are we going?_

 **Can't say ;) but you can dress casually.**

 _I don't like surprises, but I trust you. I'm excited!_

 **Me too. Tonight's a new start for us, babe. First five years were amazing. Can't wait for the next five with you. I love you so much, Arizona.**

 _Like you said, through thick and thin! See you tonight. Love you more._

"Look at that smile on your face, it's huge!" Teddy notices. I didn't even realize I was smiling so hard, but I guess I am. "What did she say? Was it dirty? Oh wait, where is she taking you?"

"No, it wasn't dirty and she didn't say where. It's a surprise."

"Surprises are the best! I wonder what she got you? A romantic dinner for two followed by some steamy, sexy lovemaking. Sounds perfect to me!"

"She said to dress casually."

"Casual, hmmmm…so maybe not a five star restaurant, but I'm sure Callie has something up her sleeve."

"Is it bad that I want it to be six o'clock already?" I ask while I finish off my pasta.

"Nah, I don't blame you. Tell me all about it tomorrow. You can leave out the explicit details though." She winks at me. I don't think Callie's ready for sex, physically or emotionally. The doctor suggested waiting two weeks just to make sure everything is healed and free of infection. To be honest I don't think I am ready either and it didn't cross my mind until Teddy brought it up. One thing I've learned about intimacy with Calliope is that it's so much more than sex. That's only a fraction of the things we do to connect intimately with one another. That being said, I am quite interested on what she has planned for tonight. Teddy and I finish our lunches before getting back to work. The rest of the day goes as usual and after a brief check in meeting with some other faculty members I'm home by five thirty.

"Mommy's home!" Noah welcomes me as soon as I step inside our house. He hops down from the dining room chair he was sitting in and runs towards me and crashes into my legs.

"I missed you so much today. How was school?" Hoisting him up, I walk back towards the dining room where Callie is seated.

"It was okay. Mama and I play Legos!"

"I can see." Half of the dining room table is covered in little Lego pieces and poor Callie is stuck putting it all together. "What are you building?"

"A ship!"

"I think we're missing a piece, bud. Are you sure you didn't take one by accident?" My wife's face scrunches in confusion as she double checks the directions sheet and the pieces on the table.

"No. I promise."

"Hmmm, then I must've done something wrong." She says giving up. "Anyway, hi babe. How was work?"

"Long, but good. Where's Sof?"

"She has some reading to do for school so she's up in her room. The sitter should be here soon and then we can leave."

"I guess I should get changed then. Casual, right?"

"Yep! Jeans and a sweater should work."

"Okay. I'll be down in a few. Finish helping mama with your ship, Noah." I say plopping him back down in his seat. The doorbell rings and Callie gets up to answer it.

"Probably the sitter now. I'll get it. You go change." We share a quick kiss as we go our separate ways. After checking in with Sofia and changing into some different clothes I make it back down just as Callie is giving the final instructions to our sitter.

"So now that I'm changed and we're in the car can you tell me where we're going?"

"Why spoil it now?" Callie asks taking one of my hands and steering us through traffic with the other. "We are almost at our first location."

"First? How many places are we going?"

"Just two. Besides, this is just part one of your anniversary gift."

"Part one? Boy do I feel special."

"That's cause you are, babe. Okay, we're almost here." She says turning down another street.

"You know that new restaurant, The New Kitchen, is over here. We should check it out soon. I hear they have the best burgers in town." I comment looking out the window at our surroundings.

"That's exactly where we're going my love."

"Wait are you serious? How did you get us in? The waitlist is already two months long."

"That's the regular waitlist. We're sitting at the chef's table. That wait list is much shorter cause it cost extra."

"I love you so much, I hope you know that."

"I do, but a girl loves to hear it too." We drive up to the front of the restaurant where the valet is waiting. We make our way inside the crowded eatery and a hostess leads up directly to our table.

"Your waiter will be right with you. Enjoy!" She says leaving us with two menus.

"I heard this place was good, but I didn't realize it would be this packed." Callie observes looking around.

"I think the head chef won one of those cooking competitions on the Food Network or something."

"That explains it. Everything on the menu looks so good. I don't know what to get."

"I think I want the classic cheese burger with everything on it. That's the one people rave about."

"Well maybe I should get that too since it's all the hype. We should share an order of truffle fries."

"You read my mind."

"Good evening ladies and thank you for dining with us. My name is Johnny and I'll be your server tonight. Are you guys ready to order or do you need some more time?"

"Actually I think we're ready. We're going to do two classic cheeseburgers with everything on it and a large order of truffle fries."

"Sounds good. What kind of cheese would you like?"

"Oh, I'll do cheddar. Arizona?"

"I'll have American on mine. Thanks."

"Not a problem. What can I get you to drink?"

"What do you recommend?" I inquire while glancing over the drinks menu once.

"Believe it or not our most favorite drink here is our milkshake. We make fresh, homemade ice cream each morning and use that in our milkshake. It makes a huge difference in the taste and goes great with a burger and fries. It comes in vanilla, chocolate, cookies and cream, and strawberry."

"I'll take vanilla, please."

"Yeah, I think I'll have the cookies and cream one." Callie selects.

"Excellent choice. I'll get your orders in right away and your shakes should be out shortly." Johnny collects our menus and excuses himself.

"I'll take a greasy cheese burger over a fancy steak any day, babe. Good choice."

"Good, I'm glad you like it."

"You know I wasn't sure if we were going to do anything special today."

"Why is that? Did you think I forgot?"

"No, of course not. Just with everything that's happened over the last week it would make sense if it got overlooked or something."

"No, I would never overlook our anniversary no matter what. I've been planning this for a while now."

"You have?"

"Well yeah, it's a big deal. Arizona, I meant what I said earlier," She says laying her hands on top of mine on the table. "This is a fresh start for us. Not that we necessarily need one, but like you said the last week was rough on us. In the end I think it made us stronger. And we shouldn't over look the fact that we got through five years of marriage."

"Best five years of my life. And I think you're right. A fresh start is good. We'll never forget what happened, but all we can do is move on."

"Exactly." Johnny coming back to our table breaks up our embrace.

"Two milkshakes. One vanilla and one cookies and cream. Your burgers and fries are on the way. Let me know if you need anything else."

"Will do." I take a sip of my milkshake and I swear it's the best one I've ever had in my life. "Oh my god that's delicious."

"I know. I'm not even done with this one and I already want another."

"Me too." I say taking another big sip. "Hey, you wanna know what immediately attracted me to you?"

"You mean like when we first met?" She asks raising an eyebrow in question.

"Yeah."

"Ooohh, tell me, tell me! Wait let me guess. Was it my winning personality?" She asks flashing a big smile.

"No, well at not at first, but a close second."

"Okay, then what was it?"

"Your arms."

"My arms? Really? Why? I've never gotten that before."

"Just hear me out. When you came over to introduce yourself you were wearing a t-shirt and the first thing I noticed were your toned arms. You didn't even realize it, but you flexed them just a little and I swear it was the hottest thing ever." Callie begins to blush as I reminisce seeing her for the first time. "What can I say, I've got a thing for toned muscle. Let me tell ya, the gym was my favorite place to pick up girls back in college."

"It's funny you say that cause I don't even work out that much. I don't think I've lifted a weight in like ten years."

"That's what makes it sexy. It's so effortless."

"Would you still love me if I drank a bunch of these milkshakes and gained like fifty pounds?"

"Of course I would still love you, although I would be deeply concerned with your health."

"Hmm, fair enough. So my arms, huh? That's what does it for ya?" She asks with a little gleam in her eye.

"That and so many other things, babe. Don't even get me started about you in a bikini. Muscle for days. And your ass, well that's just fantastic in itself."

"Arizona, don't be so loud." Callie whispers with a big smile on her face. "You're embarrassing me."

"Am I? Cause by the look on your face I may be turning you on." I tease once again, which makes her laugh.

"You're crazy and I love you."

"Two classic cheeseburgers and a large truffle fry!" Johnny says coming back to our table with another server and dropping off our food. "Enjoy ladies."

"Damn, that's a big burger. We probably could've split one."

"I know. Oh well, dig in." Cutting mine in half to make it easier to handle, I take a big bite and my taste buds thank me for it because it's the best burger I've ever had. Dare I say it's even better than the one my dad prepares.

"We definitely have to come back here." Callie says with half a mouth full. Within another twenty minutes we finish our meals. She calls for the check and soon we are on our way to the next place.

"So where to now?"

"Well we had dinner, so I though it would be fitting to see a movie. A rated-R comedy, not another kids animation movie."

"I actually love that idea." Tonight turned out to be way better than I imagined. Sure a fancy candle-lit romantic dinner for two is nice, but a burger and a movie is more our style. Once at the theater we got some candy to share, as if we need any more food, and a small bag of popcorn. The movie was funny and we laughed during the whole thing. It was close to eleven by the time we got home and relieved the sitter. The kids were already in bed so we gave them each good night kisses before going into our room and changing into pajamas.

"Hey, I wanna give you your present before we go to sleep."

"Okay. You go first and then I'll tell you about part two of our anniversary." I go into our closet and pull out the gift I got her along with a card.

"Open it." I say passing it off to her and joining her in bed. She unwraps the small present.

"The Hamilton Soundtrack. You know I've been meaning to get this." She comments looking over the CD. "I've heard great things about the show. Thanks Arizona."

"What if I told you there's more."

"Okay…" She says perplexed. I pass her the card and she opens the envelope carefully and pulls out the card.

"Well don't just stare at it, open it!" I urge her. As soon as she opens the card two tickets fall out.

"What are—wait, wait, wait. Are these Hamilton tickets? Like New York Broadway Hamilton tickets?"

"You bet your ass they are!"

"Holy shit, how did you get these? The show has been sold out for weeks!"

"Don't worry about how I got them, babe. The most important part is that I did. The show isn't for a few weeks, but I thought we could make a New York weekend out of it."

"That sounds amazing, Arizona! Thank you. I love it." She says giving me a passionate kiss. "You won't believe it, but that was my idea too."

"What, Hamilton?"

"No, New York. I got us private tour passes at the Museum of Modern Art in New York. I know you like art and history so we can go to other museums too."

"I love it, Calliope! We can do it all during the weekend. I guess great minds really do think a like."

"And one last thing."

"I don't know how much more I can take." I chuckle.

"It's not really a gift, more so a confession I guess."

"Okay."

"I've given it some thought and I don't know when or how, but I know I'm not ready to give up or throw in the towel just yet."

"What are you talking about?"

"What I'm saying is…" I can she's struggling a little bit so I just give her some time. "What I'm saying is don't throw out the baby clothes just yet." It takes me a few seconds, but I understand the underlying message.

"You want another kid still?"

"Yeah, I do." She says nodding her head. "Only if you want."

"Of course I do." I grab her by the face and pull her in for another kiss. "I'll always have kids with you."

"I mean I'm not talking tomorrow, but you know."

"I do."

"So don't throw out all those cute clothes. I mean you have a lot some giving them to Teddy isn't bad, but keep some for us."

"I will. I promise you I will."

"I love you, Arizona."

"I love you too, Calliope. You and your sexy arms." I tease giving them a squeeze. "Happy Anniversary, babe."

 **AN: Thanks for reading and thanks to musicforsoul for always helping out.**

 **Just a quick note/question: I'm planning/thinking about the outline of the story going forward and am curious if you guys have any input on the baby situation going forward. Should Callie try again or Arizona? Adoption? Surrogacy? Other options? I have an idea of what I'm leaning towards, but I'm always open to other ideas. If you really don't care and just rather wait and see that's totally cool too. Thanks again for reading!**


	17. Chapter 17

I don't own anything…all credit goes to ABC/Shondaland

Chapter Seventeen

 **Hope you enjoy!**

Callie's POV

"So are you sad that it's over?"

"Yeah, a little." Noah says from his perch in his car seat in the back. It's been just over a month since the miscarriage and things have been going much better for the entire family. "It was fun." Noah just finished his last swim lesson. We started them in the summer, mostly to give him something new to try, but it also gave us a bonding time. His first lesson didn't go too well, but I didn't let him quit and we kept going. Over time he warmed up to the water, the instructor, and some of the water activities and now after about three months he's gotten pretty good at it. Well, for a four year old anyway. One thing I won't miss is getting up early to go to the pool, but it was all worth it in the end.

"Maybe we can take some more lessons next summer. Sound good?"

"Yeah." He shrugs. "I'm hungry. Can we get lunch?"

"As soon as we get home I'll make you something."

"Okay." As I continue to drive us home my phone rings through the car speakers.

"Hey Mark, what's up?"

"Hey Cal, how are you?"

"I'm good. You're on speaker and Noah is in the car so keep it PG."

"Got it. How's it going, Noah?"

"Hi Mark! Mama and I swim today!"

"That sound's fun. Who knows, maybe you'll be the next Michael Phelps."

"Who's that?" Noah questions.

"Only the best swimmer in the world! Just keep practicing, bud."

"So what do you wanna talk about, Mark?" I ask redirecting the conversation.

"Thanksgiving." He says cautiously. The last time we talked I almost bit his head off because it was after the baby situation. We've texted since then, but nothing too serious. "And before you get upset, it will only be for a few days. I know how you guys do a big family trip to Hawaii for Christmas and I didn't want to mess that up for Sof, so I thought Thanksgiving would be okay."

"Mark…"

"Look Cal, there's someone I really want Sofia to meet and Thanksgiving would be the perfect time."

"Oh, a new love interest I suppose? Let me guess a busty red head? Oh wait, maybe a tall blonde! Is she a doctor too?" I always find it funny to tease Mark about his latest love interest because he literally dates anyone. I've tried to figure out his type, but I don't think he has one.

"Cal…"

"How old is she? Tell me she's at least thirty. You know you should really think about looking for someone long term. It'd be good for you."

"She's in her sixties."

"Jesus Christ, Mark." I gasp. "I'm sure there's a nice lady out there around your age."

"Callie, I'm not dating her. It's my mom. My mom contacted me a few weeks ago and we've been reconnecting." Mark's relationship with his parents is estranged to say the least. He grew up an only child and both his parents were successful lawyers who were never around much. They sent him off to college with a hefty bank account and after that they just grew apart. At least that's all he told me. "I want her to meet Sofia and she wants to meet her too. She's so happy to have a grandchild."

"Wow, your mom."

"I know. It took me a while for it to sink in too. She's doing really well now. She left my dad and has been remarried for three years."

"Well that's good for her."

"She's living in upstate New York now. She invited me for Thanksgiving. She wants to meet Sof so I told her I had to ask you."

"Ummm, okay. I mean I guess I really can't say no. I'll check with Sof, but I'm sure she won't mind."

"Thanks, Cal. It means a lot to me. We can sort out the details later."

"Okay."

"I'm also sorry again about the whole lawyer thing too. We don't need lawyers, we'll figure something out going forward."

"I know we will. We'll talk later."

"Sure thing. Talk to ya later."

"So no Sof at Thanksgiving?" Noah asks after I hang up.

"I don't think so, buddy. She's going to spend it with her dad this year."

"Oh." He says softly. I look in the rearview mirror and notice he has a perplexed expression on his face.

"It'll be okay. You'll have me and mommy with you."

"I know." He smiles. "Mama, do I have a daddy?" It takes me a second to register his question, partially because I didn't expect this question right now. I figured it would come up eventually, but I at least thought I'd have Arizona with me to answer it. How do I explain it to a four year old? I mean _technically_ he has a dad, but for all intents of purposes Arizona and I are his parents.

"What?"

"Do I have a daddy? Sof got Mark."

"Well yes, I mean no…well kind of?" I'm not starting off too strong and I think I just made him more confused. "Do you think, or do you feel that you need a dad?" I ask hesitantly and quite nervously. It's always been a thought in the back of my mind if Noah would feel he was missing something by not having a father. He has male figures in his life, but sometimes I can't help but wonder. Especially since he sees Sofia and Mark together.

"No. I love you and mommy." He says confidently. "I got two mommies!"

"Yes you do! And we love you so much."

"I know. Are we home yet?" I couldn't be happier for a change of topic. Hopefully that answer satisfies him for a few more years. I think I handled it okay.

"Yeah, we are." I reply pulling into the driveway. I help him out his seat and once we get inside he joins his sister in the living room to watch some cartoons while I head upstairs to look for Arizona.

"Hey you." Arizona asks after giving me a hello kiss. "How was the last swim lesson?"

"Uh, pretty good. He held on to the wall and kicked his little legs around. It was actually pretty cute."

"That's good. I'm just getting some packing done for our New York trip tomorrow. I'm really exci—"

"We may have a problem."

"What? No." She says dropping the clothes from her hand on the bed. "I thought you got your schedule cleared?"

"No, no, not about the trip. We're still going."

"Oh, then what's the issue?" She asks resuming her packing.

"I may have told Noah he has a dad." I confess guiltily. "Well I said yes, then no, but I'm not sure if her understood."

"Whoa, whoa, wait. What?"

"I was talking to Mark and then he asked if he had a dad like Sofia."

"Why did you say yes?"

"Cause that's what first came to my mind, and technically he does. But I quickly followed it up with no. I'm sorry, I guess I shouldn't have said anything." Arizona continues to fold clothes while I just stand watching her anxiously. "Are you upset?"

"No, I'm not upset. I wish you didn't say anything yet. I guess I just don't want him thinking he has a dad who forgot about him or something."

"I don't think he's going to think that. He said he was happy with two moms."

"Good, that's good. I think we dodged a bullet. At least for a little bit anyway."

"Yeah, I think he'll forget about it."

"Callie, do you think he'll want to find his dad? Like when he's older?"

"Maybe? I mean that's up to him. We don't have to think about it until the time comes. Right now he's four and enjoying animated cartoons downstairs with his sister. We don't have to worry about that right now."

"You're right. We may have overreacted slightly." She says taking a deep breath. "Anyway, you should get packing. We have an early flight tomorrow. When is Aria coming in?"

"Later this afternoon. She's real excited to watch the kids."

"Not that I don't love your sister, but are you sure she's ready for this?"

"Of course she is, babe. I know she can be a little out there, but she's grounded with the kids. She said she wanted to spend more time with them so this is great. Plus, we always use your mom, we should give her a little break." Walking over to Arizona and her luggage, I take a quick peak at what's in her bag.

"I guess so."

"Hmm, what do we have here?" I pick up a little silk, black nightdress and inspect it for myself.

"Callie, put that back." She tries to snatch it back from me, but I quickly swipe it away. "It's for our trip."

"It looks a little short…I like it. I don't think I've seen it before."

"That's cause it's new, Calliope." She says matter-of-factly. "Now give it back." Taking it away from my hand, she quickly refolds it and stuffs it back in her bag.

"When will I see it again? Preferably on you."

"I don't know, you kind of ruined the surprise now." She fake pouts. "But if you play your cards right maybe you'll get a private show."

"Oh is that so?" I playfully ask I push her back towards the wall.

"Just a thought."

"Well I really like that idea." Once her back hits the wall our lips collide in a passionate kiss. My mouth moves to her neck as I continue to kiss on her soft skin and begin to unbutton her shirt.

"Callie, what are you doing?" She asks moving her neck around to give me more space.

"What does it look like I'm doing?" Once I get her shirt open, I run my hands up the sides of her skin before moving them back down to unbutton her jeans.

"If I didn't know any better I'd say you're trying to take me here up against the wall."

"And what's so wrong with that?" Pulling down her jean zipper, I cup her center over her thin panties as she moans into my ear.

"Nothing…nothing at all." She grabs my face and kisses me again, but I reluctantly move away as my ears perk up. "What, what's wrong?"

"I, uh, I think I hear little feet coming our way." Quickly removing my hand from between my wife's legs, I button her jeans and create a little space between us.

"And just when I think I was about to get lucky." She sighs. "It's been the longest month of my life." My wife mumbles under her breath, albeit a little too sassy for my liking. "I'm sorry, Calliope I didn't mean it like that."

"No, it's okay. I get it."

"Seriously, babe." She says taking my hand. "I truly understand if you're not ready or anything. You have your own reasons for waiting and I fully respect that. I just miss being with you in that way."

"I do too, Arizona. We'll get there. Promise. I mean we were almost there until—"

"Mama, can I have lunch now?" Noah says making his presence known and hopping up on our bed.

"Of course you can, big guy! I'll get started on it."

"You leave me, mommy?" He asks looking around at all the clothes and bags.

"Just for a couple of days. Remember we told you mama and I are leaving for a special trip and Aunt Aria is coming to hang with you guys." Arizona answers while taking a seat next to him.

"Oh yeahhh."

"You know you still smell like the pool. How about I give you a quick bath while mama fixes your lunch. Sound good?"

"Okay." He says jumping off the bed. "Can I have grilled cheese, please?"

"Coming right up." I answer before he scurries off down the hall.

"You wanna make me a grilled cheese too, hot stuff?"

"Well how can I say no to that?" I laugh. "Grilled cheese for the whole family!" I shout exiting the room and making my way down the hall to the stairs. After a family lunch we head to the airport to pick up my sister. The rest of the night is pretty relaxed as Aria plays with the kids as Arizona and I finish packing taking care of any extra things before our trip.

"Aria, wake up." I whisper to my sister who's sound asleep in the guest room. "Aria." I tap her shoulder, which gets a gurgle and a few body movements out of her. "Aria, seriously we're about to leave."

"Go. We'll be fine." She says waving me off.

"I checked the forecast and it's supposed to be pretty rainy all weekend. We have tons and tons of games. They can watch movies downstairs. Umm, they some times like to build forts with blankets and pillows in the living room."

"Callie, what time is it?"

"A little after five."

"Exactly, my brain doesn't turn on until at least six or seven in the morning, so I'm not really getting everything you're saying. Don't worry, Sof and Noah will be fine. I won't burn down the house."

"They should be up by seven or eight, maybe eight thirty if you're lucky."

"Callie, the car is here. We need to get going." Arizona says peaking her head into the guest room.

"Got it, I'll be down in a sec." I reply before retuning my attention to my sleeping sister.

"Go on your trip. I got this. We're only two years apart, Callie. I'm pretty sure I can handle my niece and nephew better than some fourteen-year-old babysitter. I'll take them out for breakfast and we'll go from there."

"Okay, okay. Well I left my car keys on the kitchen island, so feel free to use my car."

"Got it. Now leave. Enjoy your little vacation."

"Fine, I'm leaving. And remember—"

"No nuts! Sof's allergic. I know, Callie. Bye." She says throwing the covers over her head. I check on Noah and Sof one last time and they are both sound asleep, so I hurry down outside to my waiting wife and car.

"Ahh, I love New York!" Arizona says as we walk into our penthouse sweet. "The city is always so alive. Oh my gosh, look at our view, Calliope!" She pulls on my arm to join her by large windows and look outside. "Central Park in the fall. Simply gorgeous."

"We can go for a walk later if you'd like." I offer.

"That sounds nice. I'm really glad we're here, babe." Pressing her lips to mine, she circles her arms around my waist and pulls me close to her.

"Me too, I haven't been here in forever. What do you want to do first?"

"Well our dinner reservation isn't for a few hours and then the play is after that, so we have some time to kill."

"Would you hate me if I suggested a little midday nap?"

"No, of course not. You've been pulling some long shifts at the hospital lately. You must be tired. Truth be told I could use a nap too."

"Nap it is!" I head back towards the bedroom and whip out my phone to send Aria a quick text letting her know we arrived. Arizona and I both slip out of our jeans and into more comfortable sleep shorts. "An hour tops is all I need."

"You know it's a kid free weekend, that means we can sleep in our underwear again."

"Valid point." We both shimmy out of our sleep shorts and get into bed. "Way more comfortable this way." I say scooting closer into my wife's and throwing an arm over her waist.

"I agree." We both fall into a light slumber before I'm gently wakened out by sleep by the soft sounds of pages turning. Our positions have shifted as Arizona is sitting up against the headboard flipping through a magazine.

"You're up?"

"Hey, you're awake." She says glancing at me before returning to her gossip magazine. "I thought I needed a nap, but I couldn't fall asleep so I've just been doing a little reading while you slept. Did I wake you?"

"A little, but it's okay. I didn't hear the alarm."

"I turned it off so you should get a few extra minutes. I could tell you were really tired cause you let out a little snore."

"I don't snore."

"You do, but only when you're extremely tired. It's okay. It's kind of cute." Her eyes widen slightly at something and I'm curious as it what it is.

"What's got you grinning?" I ask placing a small kiss on a naked thigh next to me.

"Oh nothing just saw a nice picture that's all." She answers flipping the page.

"What was it? Some celebrity walking their dog and drinking Starbucks?"

"No, not exactly. More like J. Lo on a beach in a very revealing swim suit." She replies nonchalantly.

"Uh huh, I see. J. Lo, huh? You might have a type, babe." I giggle.

"I don't have a type, Calliope. I just like what I like. You two just happen to have some of the same features. She's tall, you're tall, she's a brunette, you're a brunette, and you're both of Latin descent. Just coincidences that's all."

"Hm, when you put it that way it sounds like we're twins."

"Nah, besides that you two look totally different."

"You're right." Plucking the magazine out her hand and tossing it to the side, I pull her back down into the bed and straddle her lap. "I'm way hotter."

"One thousand percent." She says placing her hands on my hips. I lean down and connect our lips. It slowly intensifies as she slips her tongue into my mouth and I begin grinding into her. Her hands move from my hips to the bottom of my shirt as she pulls it off me and unhooks my bra and flings it to the side. Sitting back on me knees, I take a few seconds to collect myself. "What, what is it?" My wife asks concerned.

"Nothing, I'm good. I just need a second." Out a nowhere a huge rush of emotion just hit me and I just need a little time to gather myself.

"We don't have to go any further. I just got a head full of steam and dove right in." She says with a little laugh as she leans up on her elbows. "But seriously, we can stop if you don't want to or whatever."

"No, I'm fine. I just needed a second."

"You sure?"

"Promise."

"Good." Taking me by surprise she flips our position and lays me on my back as she hovers above me. "Because I really, really want to have sex with my wife right now." Taking off her shirt and bra as well, she gives me the perfect view of her breasts, as her whole body is naked with the exception of her panties.

"You sure you don't mean J. Lo? Cause I could maybe make a few calls." I teasingly grin towards her.

"You know, let's see how tonight goes and I'll get back to you on that." She jokes right back before pressing our lips together for another searing kiss. She leaves light kisses on my neck and collarbone and she continues her trail down my body. Being the attentive woman that she is, she licks my left breast and takes it in her mouth while massaging the other with her hand before switching and repeating her actions.

"It's been too long, Calliope." She continues down my body and hooks her fingers into the material of my panties as she slowly pulling them down.

"You're just teasing me now, Ari."

"Mhmm, Ari. I've missed you saying that." Her blue eyes look up to me as a sly grin takes over her face. Having her hands and mouth on me has more than awaken my body and spiked my arousal. "These are gone." With a flick of the wrist, my panties are tossed on the floor and her lips find a new home on my thighs, getting closer and closer to where I need and want her most. "You know just seeing you like this, so responsive to my touch has really turned me on."

"Well I'm glad I could help." She inches closer and closer to my core and licks her lips in anticipation. "God, your smell is intoxicating. I love it." My legs unconsciously spread open just a little and I'm hoping she takes the hint. I'm not sure how much more teasing I can take with her being so close. "Oh wow, look at that. You are making me very, very wet Calliope."

"Jesus, Ari please just—oh god…yesss, right there, baby. Mhmm, just like that." I moan as her tongue takes over. My head rolls back on my shoulders as she works her very talented tongue on my sex. She reaches up with one hand and takes a firm hold of my left breast. "Fuck, you're so amazing at that, Ari."

"There's that dirty mouth I've been missing." She says lifting her head. Crawling up between my legs, I pull her down by the neck and taste myself against her lips. It's only a matter of seconds before tongues are clashing and moans cry out. I slide a hand between our heated bodies stick it inside her panties. Her wetness greets my fingers as I run them through her slick folds. Her breath gets caught in her throat as I slide twin fingers inside of her.

"So good, Calliope." She husks into my ear as I continue my movements inside of her. She uses one of her own hands to push off her underwear entirely and spreads her legs more. I feel her bite on my shoulder as I push deeper inside of her and run my thumb over her bundle of nerves.

"T-together, baby." She stutters as she repositions herself on top of me. "Stop for a quick second." I oblige and pull out as she lines her center up with mine.

"Is that good?"

"Yeah, yeah…just open up a little more." Doing what she says, we both groan out at the amazing, new feeling of our centers melding together. "yesss, that's it, baby." My fingers claw at her back as she grinds down faster on me.

"You're so wet, Ari." I grit out between my teeth. I'm not sure how much longer I can hold out. "I'm close."

"Me too." She breathes out heavily. Our lips find each other's again as we both come undone. Names are called and explicit words are shouted and my wife's body goes limp on top of mine. I rub a soothing hand up and down her back as she regains her energy.

"Damn, baby." She says rolling off me and onto her back. "God, I love you Calliope."

"I love you too, Ari."

"You know you're the only person to ever call me that. I've gotten Zona, Zonie, Tempe, never Ari except for you."

"It's my own special nickname for you."

"I love it." She comments rolling to her side and cupping my cheek. "Kiss me." Our mouths meet once more for a slower, languid kiss. "You know what I realized?" She asks once we break apart.

"What's that?"

"I didn't even wear the new nightie I got."

"There's always later." I reach for my phone and notice the time. "We've got thirty minutes to get dressed and make it to our reservation on time. Shower with me?"

"You don't even have to ask twice." She says bolting up from the bed. "If you hurry we can have a quick round two!"

 **Thanks for reading and to musicforsoul for always helping me out.**

 **AN: Thanks so much for the feedback! Trust me, it was very helpful. For the most part a lot of people had some similar ideas, and a few even matched what I was thinking. I'll be sure to consider everything going forward. Thanks for sticking with the story!**


	18. Chapter 18

I don't own anything…all credit goes to ABC/Shondaland

 **Hope you enjoy!**

Chapter Eighteen

Arizona's POV

Last night was one for the books, that's for sure. Callie and I had a very romantic candle-lit dinner at some fancy restaurant she found. The food was divine and we had great conversation. After dinner it was Hamilton time. The play was out of this world amazing. Sure I've read and heard nothing but great things about it, but seeing it live and in person was more than I imaged. Most importantly Callie loved it. She had a smile on her face the entire time, which is all I ever wanted. It's been a rough month and a half for both of us, but especially her. With the loss of her grandfather, then the baby, it hasn't been easy on her. That being said, we are getting back on track and with the holidays rapidly approaching I'm sure that will bring positivity back into our lives. The holidays always seem to bring people together. Anyway, after the play we decided to go exploring in the big city. We walked a few blocks before coming across a lounge and having a few drinks. We mostly people watched and giggled in our own little world. After about two hours we decided to call it a night and come back to hotel, but we did stop at an all night pizza shop and got us a few slices to bring back into the room. We stripped down to nothing but our underwear and jumped into bed with our late night snack, and watched a movie until we fell asleep. In all the night was perfect.

"Calliope, wake up." I whisper in my wife's ear as her brown hair is sprawled out on the pillow underneath her. "It's ten o'clock."

"Yeah, New York time. Body is still on Seattle time." She groans back and snuggling deeper into the bed.

"But it's so sunny out. We don't want to waste the day away. We could get brunch and then head over the museum."

"Museum tour not till later." Rolling onto her back, she wraps an arm around me and pulls me in closer to her. I rest my head on her shoulder lay an arm across her stomach. "Five more minutes of sleep and then I'm up. Promise."

"Five minutes. I can handle that." After about two minutes I get bored. When I'm up, I'm up. It's hard for me to go back to sleep, so I get a little antsy. I start to lightly draw random designs over Callie's skin. Her body reacts just enough for me to know that she's not fully sleeping anymore. Yeah, I feel a little bad for waking my wife, but not bad for wanted to spend more time with her.

"Couldn't even handle five minutes, huh?" She smirks at me.

"Nope." I press a kiss to her lips. "And I'm not ashamed. Did you have fun last night?"

"I had a great time. Thanks again for getting the tickets. I'm so happy I got to see Hamilton."

"Me too. It's been a great anniversary weekend so far."

"It has. I'm kind of sad it has to end tonight."

"Hey, I'll take thirty-six hours with you in New York opposed to nothing at all. I'm just happy we got a take a mini vacation and celebrate."

"Me too."

"What do you say we get up and get some coffee and food into our body's?" I say sitting up eagerly. "I'm thinking we share a shower and maybe even sneak in some kisses."

"I'm all for that, but there's something I want to run by you." She straightens herself up and rest against the headboard of the bed. I can tell instantly that something's on her mind simply by change of expression on her face. "So next week it'll officially be six weeks."

"Six weeks since—oh, six weeks since the miscarriage." Nodding her head in confirmation, I let her continue.

"Yes, since my miscarriage. Since then I've done some soul searching. I've talked to the priest, I've talked with you and in some of my spare time I've been reading some online forums about miscarriages and how people deal with them." I had no clue about the online research, but instead of saying anything I let her finish. "And I've fully come to terms with everything. I mean I won't ever forget what happened, but I've come to terms with it."

"That's good to hear, babe. Seriously."

"What about you?"

"Me? Oh, well I guess I'm like you. I've come to terms with it too. I think about it less and less each day. Some days not at all, ya know?"

"Yeah. So remember I told you the night after we had that talk in your office about not throwing out baby clothes?"

"Yeah…"

"Well I really did mean that. I want us to try again." She confesses tenderly. "Like soon, very soon."

"For another baby?" Of course that's what she means, but I think I just need to hear it again. To say I'm surprised is an understatement. I mean I'm pleasantly surprised, but surprised nonetheless.

"Yes for a baby." She chuckles. "Look, back when we first had this conversation one of the main things for we was having our next kid soon so they will be close in age with Noah and Sofia. At this point Sofia will at least be seven years older and Noah five. I've read lots of stuff online and some people try right away and others wait. It just depends. I felt guilty for already thinking about trying again, but I'm really ready if you are. Of course it's not just my decision, but—"

"Callie, I'm ready." I say cutting her off from her rant.

"You are?" My wife asks with a small smile.

"Yes, of course I am. Sure after the miscarriage I had some doubts because I never wanted to experience anything like that ever again, but I just had to push those negative thoughts away. I was just waiting for you to say something. Hell, if we could make a baby right here right now I would. Sofia and Noah are more than enough, I swear on some days it feels like there are five of them, but nothing would give me more joy than having another baby and raising it with you."

"You really mean that?"

"Of course I mean that, Calliope." I lean forward and give her another kiss and settle into my new seat on her thighs. "Once we get back to Seattle we can work on getting you knocked up again."

"How romantic." She sarcastically snickers before capturing my lips again.

"I'm making it my mission to put a baby in your belly." I laugh. "Just call me Doctor Torres."

"Hey, that's my name." She quips back.

"Huh, you're right. Okay then, call me Dr. Robbins-Torres."

"Perfect." Callie says running her hands up and down my thighs. "I'm so happy we decided this, but—"

"No, don't say 'but'." I childishly whine. "No 'buts' okay? We're having another baby."

"We are it's just that I've been thinking about something else."

"Go on."

"I want to us to use your egg."

"What?"

"I want us to use your egg." She reiterates. I heard her the first time, but I'm confused. "Like IVF. It'll be like I'm your surrogate." Callie jokes timidly. "I'll still carry it and everything, but I think we should try this. Plus, it would mean that our next kid would be directly biologically related to Noah cause it'll be your egg and the same sperm."

"Uh-huh…" I mumble out as I soak all this information in.

"I know it would mean you would have to go on hormones to get your body ready for egg retrieval, and if you don't want to do that I fully understand. I just think this will be better for us. Yes, there are some additional health risks, but I'm willing if you are."

"What kind of health risks we talking?"

"Well more for me than you if I do end up pregnant. Normal pregnancy stuff, but my age will become more of factor."

"I see…"

"So what are you thinking?"

"I'm thinking IVF is expensive. Yeah, I know we have money, but it seems like a huge expense. How you looked into how much it costs?"

"Around twelve to fifteen thousand per cycle."

"Fifteen thousand dollars per cycle?" I gasp. "Babe, that's a lot of money."

"I know." She says lowering her head in disappointment.

"Hey, hey, I'm not saying no. I'm just thinking about everything. Is this seriously what you want?"

"Yeah, I really do. I think we have better chances." Callie looks at me again and just like Sofia, I get lost in her soulful brown eyes. I'd do anything for this woman and if she wants to try IVF and use my egg than I'm all for it.

"Okay, then let's do it!"

"Seriously!?"

"Yes, Calliope! Now I need you to do me a favor."

"Anything at all. You name it."

"I need you to get your cute little ass in the shower so we can get something to eat, cause I'm starving."

"Right away, Dr. Robbins-Torres." She winks at me as I let her up.

"I'm really starting to like the way that sounds." I say following her into the bathroom. After a particularly steamy shower we head out onto the streets of New York in search of a breakfast place. We find a cute little corner café and order our meals. I settled for some French toast while Callie opted for pancakes. Once we finished eating we caught a cab to museum where Callie had a private tour ready for us. The tour was two hours and it was wonderful. I loved everything about it. I love history and art so museums are perfect for me. Our tour guide was excellent and very knowledgeable. At the end we stopped at the gift shop and picked up something for the kids. We then went to a second museum, the Museum of Modern Art. Again we had a private tour and to my surprise Callie asked a bunch of questions. Usually I'm the talkative one at things like this, but Callie was very engaged the entire time. We took a cab back over to Central Park and go for a little walk before packing up and going to the airport.

"It's so pretty here. Let's move to New York." I playfully suggest as we walk hand in hand around the busy park.

"I think I would get tired of all the hustle and bustle after a few years."

"That's true. It's the city that never sleeps."

"Although the city is beautiful in the fall."

"It is. Can you believe Halloween is coming up? We've got to get the kids cute outfits."

"I bet you twenty dollars Sofia wants to dress up as a ballerina."

"You're probably right about that. What about Noah?"

"Maybe a firefighter." Callie offers. "Or one of those ninja turtles."

"I'm voting ninja turtle. First Halloween, then Thanksgiving, Tim's graduation, and finally Christmas in Hawaii. My favorite."

"Speaking of Thanksgiving. Sofia is spending it with Mark."

"How come? Did you guys figure something out?"

"He asked cause he wants her to meet his mother, who actually lives in New York. Besides, he knows Christmas is big for us, so I thought giving him Thanksgiving would be okay."

"I guess that makes sense. When did you guys decide this?"

"Like two days ago."

"And I wasn't included in this conversation because…"

"What are you talking about?" She says stopping our stride. "I'm telling you now."

"Yeah, you're telling me, but it would have been nice to been asked before you gave him a definite answer."

"Um, okay…do you want me to tell him no?"

"No, that's not what I'm saying. Of course it's okay, and I'm happy for Sofia to meet Mark's mother. It's the principle of the matter, you and Mark making decisions about Sofia again. Without me." I drop her hand and fold my arms across my chest.

"Wait a second. I literally run everything by you."

"And more than half the time it's after you and Mark already made a decision. You just mention it to me to clear your conscious."

"Okay, that's seriously not fair, Arizona."

"It's true. I usually put up with it or ignore, but it's getting old. Just for once please talk to me first. Tell Mark you'll call him back or whatever. He says jump and you ask how high."

"You have to be kidding me right now. Look, there are something's it's easier to say yes to. Not everything calls for a huge conversation. We're her parents and we make decisions for her."

"What does that make me? Am I any less of a parent? Cause it surely doesn't feel that way." I say raising my voice.

"You know that's not what I meant."

"Did those paper I signed on our honeymoon mean anything?" I spit out. "Or was that all for show?"

"Arizona, you know that's not true. Can we just…" Looking around it appears our conversation has drawn some attention, but I could really care less right now. "…finish this back in the room or something. Please? Of course you're her parent."

"Then please treat me like one when you make decisions about her. All of her decisions." I say definitively.

"Not everything calls for your input, Arizona. Major decisions, of course, but Thanksgiving, it's minor."

"Wow, is that seriously how you feel?" Taking a step back from her, I shake my head in disbelief. If there's on Achilles' heal in our relationship it's this three parenting ordeal with Mark. It can just be so complicated sometimes.

"You're making a scene, Arizona. Let's just go." She takes me hand and starts to lead us away, but I quickly shake out of her grasp. I'm not feeling very close to her right now.

"Really? That's how you want to act? Fine, I won't hold your hand, but can we please go?"

"Excuse me, miss. Are you okay?" Some random strangers ask me as they walk over to us. His presence takes Callie and I both by surprise. "I've been watching this little interaction and you don't look very happy."

"She's fine. We were just leaving." My wife answers.

"I actually wasn't talking to you, I was talking to her." He says pointing at me. Callie is taken back by his brashness and frankly so am I.

"I'm seriously okay. We were just talking." I answer honestly. I surely didn't think anyone would think Callie and I were in a big fight or anything, but I guess having an animated conversation in a public park will do that.

"If you don't feel comfortable with her I can stand here with you or—"

"Excuse me, who the hell do you think you are?" Callie asks stepping between the man and me. "I already told you she's fine."

"Callie, it's okay." This situation is escalating quickly and Callie and I are both already agitated from our pervious conversation. "Sir, thanks for your concern but I'm seriously okay. My wife and I were just having a conversation. I'm sorry for disturbing you."

"Your wife, huh?" He questions looking between the both of us.

"Yes, her wife." Callie says defensively. She offers her hand to me again and I take it. "Now if you'll excuse us."

"Well wife or not, it looked like you were harassing her." He puts a hand on my wife's arm to stop her from moving and eyes widen at his boldness. Bad move on his part. Seriously, this guy needs to relax. He's making this a bigger deal than it was and now more eyes are watching us.

"Are you accusing me of harassing my wife?" Callie asks sharply. "And don't you dare touch me again." She says stepping towards him.

"Babe, let's leave." I'm starting to feel a little guilty cause this whole thing started with my attitude. "She's was not harassing me at all. Clearly you don't know what a conversation looks like." I snap at him.

"Obviously you don't know how to talk to a lady." He says ignoring me, and stepping towards Callie almost challenging her.

"Okay, seriously back the hell up." I step between the two and push the man back gently and away from my wife. Evidently, he has an agenda of his own as he pushes me to the side and steps up into Callie's face again. In a flash I see Callie's fist make contact with this guys face and knock him to the ground.

"Callie!" I shriek.

"Fuck, that hurt." Callie says shaking her hand out. A few people around us cheer for Callie while others look at the guy on the ground. He's visibly shaken, but conscious.

"I swear to God I'm going to sue your ass."

"Yeah, I'd like to see you try." She steps over to him and comes up to me. I'm in complete shock that my wife just punched some guy. "Are you okay?" She asks full of compassion.

"Uh, yeah yeah I'm fine. He only pushed me, that's all."

"I just saw him put his hands on you and I lost it. Let's get out of here." As we walk away, I look back at the scene. Most of the people have scattered, with two people checking on the man on the ground.

"You don't think he's actually going to sue us?"

"No. He doesn't even know my name. That's what you get for not minding your own business."

"You do realize you just punched a man, right?"

"Yeah, I know. Oddly it felt good." We hurry back to the hotel and once in our room Callie immediately ices her hand.

"I didn't even ask. How's the hand?"

"Hurts like a bitch. I think I fractured some bones." She comments cringing at the pain. "I don't think I can operate for a few days. Crap, the Chief is going to kill me. I'll be drowned in paper work."

"Callie, I'm sorry."

"What? You have nothing to be sorry for. It's not your fault."

"Yes it is. I started that whole Mark thing and got a little loud. If we had just left and talked about it later none of this would've happened."

"Arizona, don't blame yourself. That jerk was being nosey and deserved what he got."

"But you punched him!"

"He had his hands on you. I'd do it again. For you, Sof, or Noah."

"Not the point, babe. You punched him!" I say it again because I still can't believe that happened.

"Trust me, I'm painfully aware. He accused me of harassing you and he stepped to me. What was I supposed to do?"

"I don't know, not punch him." I snort.

"Well too late. Maybe in hindsight I overreacted, but I have to admit it felt kind of good." She grins.

"If we're admitting things, it was kind of hot." I proclaim. "But only for five seconds. I don't like taking pleasure in someone else's pain."

"Hot, huh?" She smugly smiles. "I'm not a violent person, Arizona. I don't want you to be scared of me. I would never—"

"You don't have to finish that sentence. I know you wouldn't harm me. You were defending me. I get it. Although I'm no damsel in distress. I could've taken him." We both laugh cause there's no way I would've fought the guy. "How about we pack our stuff get to the airport. I'm ready to go home."

"Me too, babe. Me too."

It's close to ten at night by the time we arrive home. The kids are already in bed, but Aria is awake watching television in the living room. "Welcome home! Aren't you glad to see it's not burned down?"

"Funny." Callie dryly replies.

"How was the trip?"

"Interesting to say the least. Check this out." She shows Aria her hand. On the airplane, the poor thing swelled up and starting turning colors.

"What the hell happened?!"

"I punched a guy in Central Park."

"No seriously, what happened?" Aria asks looking at me in disbelief.

"She punched a guy in Central Park."

"I'm sorry, you just assaulted a man in the park for no reason?"

"He was being an asshole, and he pushed Arizona."

"You can't just go around punching people, Callie. I'm pretty sure that's illegal."

"It was one time and I'll never see him again. Its done and over. Now if you'll excuse me, I need to put some more ice on this." She leaves the living room and I plop down next to Aria on the couch.

"Arizona, what's going on? Is my sister okay?" Aria asks concerned.

"She's fine. It was the heat of the moment kind of thing. One and done. Tell me, how were the kids?" Aria looks a little unsure, but decides not to dwell on it.

"Excellent. We made forts, played five different board games. I help Sofia with some of her school reading. Noah even came into the guest room and slept with me. He's just the cutest. Although I had some trouble putting some pants on him. He was running around in a t-shirt and underwear."

"Yeah, he does that sometimes. Thanks for watching them."

"Of course. I loved it. I'm back to Miami tomorrow. But the anniversary trip was good, right?"

"It was. Just what we needed." I smile to myself as I recall the baby conversation this morning.

"Good, well with that I'm off to bed. I've got an early flight. Night."

"Night, Aria." I head into the kitchen and see Callie sitting at the kitchen island with a bag of frozen fruit on her hand.

"You do know we have regular ice."

"I know, but I found this bag tucked away in the back of the freezer so it's extra cold."

"Feeling any better?"

"Not really. I'll get some x-rays in the morning, but I already know what they are going to reveal."

"It sucks cause it's your dominant hand too."

"Yeah, the Chief is going to have my ass, but I'm sure Wilson can handle most of the surgeries. Besides I can still consult and everything. It'll be okay."

"Alright, well don't be down here too long. I need my boxing champ in bed with me." I wink at her as I head towards the stairs.

"Your never going to let this go, are you?"

"Never." I smile back.

 **Thanks for reading and thanks as always to musicforsoul for helping me out!**


	19. Chapter 19

I don't own anything…all credit goes to ABC/Shondaland

 **Hope you enjoy**

Chapter Nineteen

Callie's POV

"I have to admit, you injuring your hand has certainly helped me a lot." Wilson jokes as we exit the scrub room and head towards my office. "I've clocked so many hours in the OR during these past two weeks."

"You're actually not so bad, Wilson. Keep it up and you'll have a long, successful career in orthopedics. I can't say that I'm sorry I'll be back operating again tomorrow. A girl can only do so much paper work and lab work for so long. I need to get my hands on some bones again."

"I understand. I'm just grateful for the opportunity." She smiles. "You have to tell me again about punch in Central Park. I still can't believe you did it." The incident spread around the hospital like wildfire, much to the dismay of the Chief. He was upset that one of his top surgeons was out of commission for two weeks. I'm pretty sure I've retold the story numerous times, yet people still want to hear it.

"I'll tell it again in the OR during our surgery later, but it's the last time. Tomorrow I'm officially back to operating, so it's probably best that I put the story to rest. Do me a favor and do check on our patient in room 302, then head to the pit until our next surgery. Okay?"

"Of course. Not a problem. I'll also get those scans from the patient with the fractured femur."

"Oh right, yes. That'd be great. I need to come up with a plan for that. We can go over those together too." My phone rings and I retrieve it from my pocket. "I got to take this. Check on that patient and get those scans. Thanks." We part ways and I head in to my office and answer my phone.

"Hey babe, what's up?"

"Hey. I was calling to see if you think you can make the appointment this afternoon? The kids and I just got home. The sitter is coming to watch them while I head to the doctors. Can you come?"

"Uhh, I'm sorry I don't think I can make it." Taking a seat on my office couch, I kick my feet up on the coffee table in front of me. "I thought maybe my schedule would clear up, but it didn't."

"That's alright." She sighs. "You told me this morning you were busy, I just thought I'd double check."

"I mean we could reschedule if you want?"

"No, no. It was already hard getting this appointment. I want to keep everything on track." As soon as we got back from New York I talked to doctor Caplan and he recommended doctor Brown, a well-known IVF fertility specialist in the area who would help us out. She had a last minute cancellation and was able to fit Arizona and I in for an intake interview. Basically she just wanted to meet us and talk about our course of action. Doctor Caplan had sent over my medical records and we went over that intensively. It was a rather long meeting, but we came out of it with plan going forward.

"Okay. Well this appointment is mainly for you anyway. She's just going to take some blood, do an ultrasound, check the quality of your eggs, and a nurse will show you how to self-administer the hormones."

"That's why I wanted you there so you would know how to do it. You know I'm not a fan of needles." She jokes nervously.

"I promise I'll inject you everyday, but it's also good for you to learn in case I'm on call or at the hospital for whatever reason." I reply trying to calm her nerves. "If you really want you can FaceTime me at the doctor's office and I promise to answer if I'm not in surgery."

"Ha, I might just take you up on that. I better go, the sitter just arrived."

"Okay. I'll see you guys at home later and we can go over everything tonight." My phone beeps and I have another incoming call from Mark. "Love you."

"Love you too." I hang up with my wife and take Mark's call.

"Hey Mark."

"Cal! I got your text, what's up?"

"I sorta need a favor…"

"Oooh, this sounds interesting. How can I help?"

"I need you to call Arizona and run the Sofia Thanksgiving plans by her."

"Wait, why?"

"We got into it two weeks ago, long story short she feels a little left out about everything, so I thought if you called and asked her yourself she'd feel more included."

"But you already said it was okay."

"I know and it is. She's not going to say no, but I think hearing it from you would be nice."

"I don't know, Cal. This seems like something you two should work out alone. I don't want to get in the middle of it."

"You're already in the middle of it. You're my baby daddy, you're forever in the middle of it."

"Still, it seems like an personal issue. Besides, I have a feeling this isn't just about Thanksgiving. There might be a bigger problem here."

"What do you mean?"

"There have been a few times when you and I discuss things about Sof. Sometimes you say you have to get back to me and talk it over with Arizona, and other times you just make the decisions on your own. I'm not complaining, I'm just pointing it out. If Arizona is feeling left out of the discussion that may be why. I don't think me calling her is going to change anything. I can see how she may be annoyed or whatever."

"Huh. Since when did you become the voice of reason?" I comment mulling over his words.

"I'm not, it's just annoying for me too. You go back and forth. I think we all just need some consistency."

"So basically it's been me the whole time messing it up?"

"Hey, don't knock yourself. Parenting alone is hard and with three adults it doesn't make it any easier. Plus me living out of state doesn't help the situation either. We're all trying our best."

"Fine then, scratch the favor. I'll talk it over with Arizona myself. I think she's been secretly withholding sex from me since that fight two weeks ago."

"Get it together, Cal. It's not worth missing sex over. Talk it out and get it on." He boasts.

"Talk it out and get it on? Wow, that's some deep advice right there." I laugh sarcastically. "You should really write a book."

"Yeah yeah, make fun all you want, but its good advice."

"If you say so."

"Also, when were you going to tell me about knocking some guy out?"

"What?" My ears immediately perk up. "How do you know about that?"

"Uh, there's a video online." No, no, no. This is not good. The last thing I need is video of me punching some guy out. I don't need this following me around. It could potentially put my job in jeopardy. "It's got over half a million hits in three days. You really sucker punched him. How's your hand?"

"It's fine. Can you send me the link?" I ask rushing over to my desk and computer.

"Sure, I'll do it now. What happened anyway?"

"Some jerk got in between me and Arizona and then shoved her. I was already irritated from an earlier conversation, so when I saw him put his hands on her I lost it."

"Clearly. I mean the video is only fifteen seconds so all you see is the punch, but you can definitely tell it's you and Arizona."

"Shit. This isn't good. I didn't think anybody was recording."

"Well what do you expect? Everyone has a camera on his or her phone these days. Not to mention Central Park is one of the most well known parks America."

"Callie, it's Meredith can I come in?" Grey asks from behind the door.

"Yeah!" I call back. "Mark, I gotta go."

"Okay, I'm still good with Sofia over the holiday, right?"

"Yeah, yeah. Details later, I need to take care of this." Meredith comes in and sits on the couch with a smug smile on her face.

"Fine. Good luck! Also, way to hit Torres. You make me proud."

"Whatever." I hang up. "What's that look for?"

"Oh nothing…I may or may not have just been sent a video of you."

"Shit, don't tell me you saw it too?"

"Five minutes ago. I have to be honest, when you were telling me the story I thought you were embellishing a little, but clearly I was wrong. You've got a mean right jab, Callie. Remind me to never pick a fight with you." She chuckles. "Surprised your hand only needed two weeks to heal."

"Not funny, Grey. What if this video blows up? I just got the link and it has over half a million views."

"Don't worry, it'll blow over. Those Internet things always do. Besides you're not a celebrity or anything. Only a handful of people know that it's you and Arizona in the video."

"Yeah, and so do hundreds of patients I've operated on. Someone could easily leave a comment with my name identifying me. That guy I hit could actually come after me."

"Relax. You're over thinking this. Let's grab a coffee or something."

"Fine. Let me just watch it once for myself." Grey comes around to my desk as I open the link Mark sent me. I cringe at watching myself and I have to admit it looks pretty bad. I didn't think I hurt him too badly. I'm a doctor; I fix people not hurt them. If anything I'm embarrassed with myself.

"Doctor Torres, may I have a word." Chief Webber says coming into my office follow by two people in suits. Maybe they're from the hospital board? I'm not sure, but they look serious.

"Of course." I shut my laptop quickly and stand up. "How can I help?"

"Two detectives are here from the Seattle police department and they want to talk." He notes, giving Grey and me a stern look.

"This isn't good." Grey whispers to me.

"Doctor Torres, I'm detective Harper." The female detective introduces herself to me and I shake her hand. "And that's my partner detective Booker. We'd like to ask you a few questions."

"Okay." I reply, albeit worriedly. Detective Booker pulls out an iPad and plays the video that Meredith and I just watched.

"Is that you in that video, doctor?"

"Yeah, I mean yes."

"Okay, well we'd like it if you came down to the precinct with us to answer some questions."

"Does she have to? Does she need a lawyer?" Meredith asks. "Is she under arrest?"

"We just have a few questions, that's all. Now you can come with us right now willingly, or we can arrest you for assault. It your choice." Detective Harper pulls out a pair of shiny handcuffs and flashes them in my direction.

"Doctor Torres I suggest you take care of this matter quickly and privately." Chief Webber instructs.

"Chief, I—"

"Callie." He says holding a hand up and softening his face. "Just go. Handle what you need to. We'll talk later." I give him a thankful nod.

"Fine, let's go." I say surrendering.

"Good choice, doctor." Detective Booker nods.

"Wait, I'm coming with you."

"Meredith you don't have to." I object. I don't want to drag anyone else into this. This is my mess. I need to deal with it. "Stay, you have patients."

"No, I'm not letting you go alone. Chief, can I go?" She asks looking to him pleadingly.

"Sure. I'll take over your surgeries."

"Ma'am you can come down to the station, but you're not allowed in the interview room."

"That's fine. I'll just wait in the lobby."

"Alright, let's go doctor Torres." I follow the detectives out my office and down the hospital corridor with Grey right beside me. Luckily the hospital is busy and most people aren't paying too much attention to me as I follow the law officials out of Seattle Grace.

"I'll grab my bag and drive over to the precinct. Don't let them intimidate you. Do you want me to call Arizona?"

"Yes—wait, no! She's busy." I don't want her to miss her doctor's appointment and I don't want to freak her out until I know all the details about what's going on. "Don't call her. I'll take care of that."

"Alright. I'll be there as soon as I can. You'll get through this Callie." I continue to follow the detectives out the hospital and into their squad car. Never in a million years did I think I find myself in this situation, yet here I am. After a fifteen-minute ride, I'm escorted into the police station. The place is kind of small of stuffy, police and people with badges walking around. I see one person being escorted in handcuffed and he looks me over before throwing a wink at me. Yeah, that was kind of creepy. The detectives lead me into an interview room before leaving. As I sit there waiting for them to return I notice my right leg anxiously bouncing up and down as well as my thumbs fiddling with one another on the metal table. I notice the big glass window. It's probably one of those double mirrors where people on the other side can see me, but I can see them.

"Thanks for waiting, doctor." Detective Harper says returning to the room with a file and her partner.

"Not a problem."

"You look nervous. We're just here to ask a few questions and get some answers." Detective Booker starts pacing around the room, while detective Harper sits down in front of me and opens the manila folder.

"Shouldn't I have been read my Miranda rights?" I question.

"Well you're not under arrest, so no. Mind if we get started?" The female investigator responds.

"Go for it."

"Who was the lady with you in the video?"

"My wife."

"Does she have a name?"

"Arizona." Both detectives look at each other with a puzzled look.

"Your wife's name is Arizona? Like the state?"

"Yes, like the state."

"Alright then, moving on. What were you two doing in New York?" Detective Booker continues his circling of the room and I have to admit it's making me anxious. Must be a scare tactic or something.

"An anniversary trip. Five years."

"What did you guys do?"

"It was a short weekend trip. Went to a play, a restaurant, and a couple of museums."

"I see. So how did you end up hitting some guy in the park?" Detective Harper asks will looking over some papers.

"Arizona and I were arguing kind of. I guess it got some attention and that guy came in between us. We both tried to diffuse the situation, but then he accused me of harassing my wife and—"

"Were you harassing her?" Detective Booker interjects.

"What? No. Of course not. It was a heated discussion. Couples have them all the time. I would never harass my wife or anyone for that matter. We tried to leave, but he puts his hands on me stopping us from moving. He stepped towards me and that's when Arizona got in between us. He shoved her out the way and that's when I hit him." I try to be completely honest with them because the last thing I want is for them to think I'm lying.

"And after that you fled the state?"

"Well when you say it like that it sounds bad. We had an already scheduled flight for that night."

"Okay, well here's the deal." Detective Harper says closing the folder. "You have no priors. You're a respected surgeon and citizen. We don't want to arrest you. Anthony isn't looking to press charges."

"Who's Anthony?" I ask quizzically.

"Anthony Thomas. He's the young man you hit. He didn't have proof, but the video went online a few days ago and then he went to a New York police station who got in contact with us."

"He's willing to settle with you. I have his lawyer's information that I'll pass on to you. I suggest you take care of this matter right away in case he changes his mind and decides to press charges."

"Well what does he want?"

"Money." Detective Booker says, stopping his pacing and standing across the table from me. "He wants you to pay his medical bills."

"Oh well that isn't so bad." I say, finally breathing a sigh of relief.

"That's not all." Detective Harper quickly follows up. "He's suing you for ten million dollars for lost wages as well as pain and suffering. He's an actor and model in New York and can't get work because of his face."

"You've got to be kidding me." I reply in disbelief. "May I ask how he even knew it was me?"

"Someone tipped him off. His lawyer said he looked you up and one of the first pictures that popped up was of you and you wife at some charity gala. He did some digging and found your family history. Apparently you come from a lot of money, doctor." Detective Booker answers. "Look, I suggest you hire a good lawyer and settle. He just wants money and unfortunately for you he hit the jackpot when you knocked him out. He's just looking to squeeze as much money possible out of you. With a good attorney I'm sure you can get the number to drop."

"Here's his lawyer's info." Detective Harper says passing me a piece of paper. "You're free to go. We really don't want to have to come back to the hospital and arrest you for assault, so do what you need to do."

"Thanks." I excuse myself from the interrogation room and see Meredith waiting for me.

"So, what happened? It wasn't that long of a meeting, so that means everything is good, right?" She asks rapidly as we exit the police station and head towards her car.

"That guy is suing me for ten million dollars." As I get into the passenger seat, I see Grey grabbed my bag for me. I check my phone and I see a missed FaceTime call from Arizona thirty minutes ago.

"Are you serious? That's ridiculous."

"I know. I mean I was okay paying for his medical bills, but the money is outrageous."

"So what are you going to do?" Grey asks as we head back to the hospital. "I'm not counting your dollars, but I'm pretty sure you or your family can afford it."

"We can, but I don't want to give into that guy."

"Well maybe he'll come down to five or something."

"He's some wannabe actor looking for a quick buck. I don't want to give him the satisfaction of getting over easy."

"I hear ya Callie, but you don't want this hanging around over you. You're going to have to compromise. If you get arrested it'll be worse. That video shows you guilty on all counts."

"Damnit, I hate this." I try and call Arizona back, but she doesn't answer. Meredith and I continue to talk it over until we get back to the hospital. I thank for her coming with me and promise to keep her updated. I decide to run up to the Chief's office before returning to work.

"Chief, your secretary said this was a good time." I peak my head into his office and he waves me in.

"Take a seat, Torres." He says directly.

"Look, I'm really sorry about all of this. I promise it won't effect my job or anything."

"Torres, relax. I'm not going to bite your head off, but I need to know that you will handle this."

"Of course. I have every intention to." I answer honestly.

"Good. We can't have one of our top surgeons known for assault. It could jeopardize this hospital as well as your medical career. I saw the video and it's bad. I'm not sure if the board saw it yet, but I'm sure they will have some questions if they did. I'll try and answer all of them and deflect as many as I can. Last year at the fundraising event Torres Hotels made a substantial contribution to the fund. Money is everything in the eyes of the board, so I'm sure your job is safe and I'll fight for it if they think otherwise, but I need to you your best behavior going forward."

"I completely understand."

"You're returning to operating again tomorrow, correct?"

"Yes, sir."

"Good. We need you. Take the rest of the day off. Go home and sort this stuff out with your wife. Come back tomorrow ready to work."

"Are you sure, cause I—"

"Torres, just go. Wilson is doing a good job and anything she can't handle you can help her with tomorrow."

"Thank you, Chief. I really appreciate it."

"I hope you know this means you're working on Halloween and Thanksgiving." Those tend to be some of the busiest days at the hospital. Halloween is a big deal in our house because the kids love dressing up and Arizona and I love taking them around the neighborhood for trick or treating, but I'm not really in the position to argue. I don't mind missing Thanksgiving because I usually work it anyway to get time off for Christmas.

"Of course. Not a problem." I thank him one last time before exiting his office and heading home.

"Mama, you're home!" Sofia greets me with a big hug as soon as I walk in the front door. "I missed you!"

"Oh, I missed you too, big girl."

"Mrs. Torres, I didn't expect you so soon. Your wife said you might be home later." Emma, our sitter, comments.

"I got off a little early today. I can handle the little rascals from here. Thanks for watching them."

"Not a problem." I hand Emma some cash before she leaves. "Sofia and Noah are always great. See you later."

"Bye Emma!" Sofia waves.

"Where's your brother, Sof?"

"He's in his room playing trains."

"Trains, huh? Let's go check it out." Sofia leads the way and runs up the stairs as I follow right behind her.

"Noah, mama's home!" She yells down the hall and into her brother's room. "Mama home early!"

"Looks like a little party in here." I say stepping into my son's room. "How's it going?"

"Mama look! I got five trains." He says showing off his toys. I take a seat on the ground and he instantly crawls into my lap. I lay a kiss on his head as Sof joins us on the floor.

"That's a lot of trains! You guys wanna tell me how school was today?"

"I had arts 'n crafts and a snack and a nap and play outside today." Noah says all in one big breathe.

"Sounds like a lot. What about you, Sof?"

"I did big girl stuff, like count and add numbers. Did you know that six plus six is twelve!?" She asks excitedly with a look of pure joy on her face.

"No it's not!" Noah objects.

"Uh huh. It is. Tell him mama."

"Noah, Sof is right. Six plus six is twelve. That's good stuff, Sofia. I'm proud of you. Hey, do you guys want to help me make dinner?"

"Yes!" They cheer in unison.

"Good. Cause I was thinking tacos and mommy loves tacos."

"I love 'em too." Noah notes.

"Well then we definitely have to make them. I'm gonna change into some comfy clothes and then we'll get started." After a quick change, the three of us make our way to the kitchen and being preparing dinner. I do all of the cooking, but it's nice to have Sofia and Noah present talking to me and keeping me company. Within thirty minutes Arizona walks in the house, just as dinner is almost ready.

"Mhmm, I smell tacos!" Arizona comments coming into the kitchen. "And they smell delicious."

"It's taco night!" Sofia cheers. Arizona gives Noah and Sof each a kiss hello before some comes over to me by the stove and places one on my cheek.

"You got home early?"

"I did. How was your appointment?"

"Good." She says eyeing me gleefully. "Really good. We'll talk after dinner."

"Okay." I place a peck on her lips before returning my attention to the hot stove. "Alright, dinner is almost ready! Who's ready to eat?"

"I am! I am!" They both shout.

"Go wash your hands while I set the table." My wife instructs. As soon as the table is set we sit around it as a family and enjoy our meal. The conversation is lively and is lead by Sofia and Noah as usual. Once we finish eating, Arizona takes Noah up for a night bath while I take Sofia.

"How's your hand, mama?" My daughter asks as she plays around in the soapsuds.

"Feeling much better. Thanks for checking."

"I don't wanna be a dancer anymore."

"No? Why the sudden change?"

"I wanna be a doctor like you. So I can make people feel better." She replies earnestly. "I don't like you hurt."

"Aw, sweetie," I start, and move some of her hair out of her face. "I promise you I'm all fine. But if you wanna be a doctor, then go for it. Be the best doctor possible."

"Mommy says you the best."

"That's very nice of her to say, but there are ton's of amazing doctors out there."

"Okay then. Back to a dancer." She smiles, making me laugh.

"You know daddy wanted me to ask you about spending Thanksgiving with him. What do you think about that?"

"Sounds fun. I like it."

"Good. He has some family he wants you to meet and he misses spending time with you."

"You, me, daddy, daddy's family, Noah, and mommy."

"Well actually it'll just be you and daddy plus his family. Noah and mommy will stay here. I have to work at the hospital."

"Oh." She says dropping her eyes. "Will daddy still have turkey?"

"Yes, I bet he will." I can't help but chuckle at her innocence. "Probably a huge turkey."

"Awesome!"

"So that's a yes on turkey with daddy?" I ask grabbing her towel and draining the tub water.

"Yes!"

"Sounds good. Let's get you dried off and into some jammies." I help her out the tub and we start the rest of her nightly routine. After tucking her into bed, Arizona and I switch rooms and I say goodnight to Noah as well. Once that's done, we head back down to the kitchen to clean up.

"So tell me about the doctor's appointment. How did it go? I want to know everything."

"It went really well. I called you cause I was getting a nervous waiting in the patient room, but Dr. Brown was there and one of her nurses. They made me really comfortable and took away all my nerves. They said I was practically the perfect candidate. My health is good and everything looks good on the inside. They showed me how to inject hormones into my stomach. I take two shot a day for two weeks. Halfway I have to add another shot that prevents me from ovulating too early, and then I'm good. I also have to go the office quite a few times for routine blood tests to make sure everything is working. It's a little complicated, Dr. Brown gave me a bunch of stuff for us to read. So in two weeks she will harvest my eggs."

"Wow, that's pretty fast."

"I know." Arizona continues to load some dirty dishes in the dishwasher. "I mean you could very well be pregnant by New Year's if everything works out. Maybe even before then. I'm trying not to get my hopes up too much, but it's just so damn hard not to." She squeals with excitement.

"I know what you mean."

"So tell me about your surgeries. How did they go today?"

"The morning ones went great. I'll be happy tomorrow when I can actually hold a medical instrument and use it on someone, but I've been impressed with Wilson."

"That's great, babe. How about the one this afternoon? I assumed you were busy when you called, so that's why you didn't answer." She takes a perch on the kitchen island and swings her legs back and forth waiting for me to answer.

"I don't know. I wasn't there."

"What do you mean you weren't there? Where were you?" I'm almost too ashamed to admit it, but I can't lie to my wife. She has to know. She deserves to know.

"I was down at the police station. Two detectives showed up at my office and brought me in for questioning."

"What for, Calliope?" Her light tone has turned more serious in a matter of seconds.

"A video came out of that guy I punched. He contacted the NYPD who contacted the Seattle police department. He's suing me for lost wages plus pain and suffering. He wants me to pay his medical bills. Apparently he's an actor and now can't get work because of me. Instead of me being arrested and this going to trial, he's wants a settlement."

"How much?"

"Ten million dollars."

"You're joking, right?" She asks rhetorically. "Ten fucking million dollars?!"

"Yeah. I mean he's probably just asking for a lot to see how much he can actually get." I answer shamefully. "I'm sorry, Arizona. I didn't mean for all of this. I didn't think this would come back to me."

"We don't have ten million dollars, Calliope." She says hopping down from her seat. "I mean I just wrote a check today for fifteen thousand dollars for the IVF stuff. I've never written a check that big in my life. I know it's for us and our future, but that's still a ton of money. Now ten million dollars?"

"Look, I'll handle it. It's my mess. I'll get a lawyer tomorrow and—"

"Great, just great a lawyer." She snaps sarcastically. "They cost money too. And we aren't going to your dad about this. He's not going to bail us out."

"I wasn't going to. I'll just tap into my trust fund."

"That's emergency money, Callie."

"I mean this is an emergency, don't you think? And I'll still have some in there after that. I'll get a lawyer and we'll talk about our options. I think if we can get it down to five million that's fine. Ideally I don't want to pay this dude anything, but I have to own up to what I did."

"Damn right you do." A loud sigh leaves her mouth and we both just stand in silence for a few minutes. "Are you okay?"

"What?"

"I mean you said they came into your office and brought you into the station. That's got to be at least a little startling. Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine."

"I'm sorry for blowing up, it's just…you know me, Calliope. You know how and where I grew up. I didn't come from money. I'm middle-class America. Fifteen thousand here, ten million there, that's a lot. I know you can't help what you were born into and I can't help what I married into, but that doesn't make it easier. I've tried really hard to get used to everything, but it's still hard because it's just so unnatural to me. I'm a teacher who barely makes seventy thousand dollars a year."

"You know I don't care about how much you make. As long as you're happy and love your job that's all that matters."

"Yeah, but I do. I work my ass off everyday to bring home a paycheck for this family. I take pride in paying for things for us. But hearing that we may have to pay ten million because you just punched a guy doesn't sit well with me. I know you're sorry, I really do I just need some time to wrap my brain around this."

"Okay, that's fair enough. I am sorry about—"

"You don't have to keep apologizing."

"Please, just listen." I plead with her. "I realize none of this would of happened if I just talked to you about the Thanksgiving thing earlier. I'm sorry for not coming to you earlier about it and just deciding things on my own. You're one hundred percent Sof's mother and should be included in everything. I'll work better at that. I promise. I just try to make Mark happy and you happy, but you always come first. I truly mean that, babe." I finish, and take a step closer to her.

"I know you do. But I want to know everything, Callie. Even if you think it's small, just run it by me. Practically all the time I agree with you, but it's just nice to know and be consulted."

"Got it."

"So you said something about a video. Let me see it." She asks cracking a smile. I pull up the video on my phone and show it to her.

"Oh Callie, this doesn't look good. I mean not at all."

"I know." I cringe watching the video again. "He does have a case."

"Yeah, but not ten million dollars worth. We better find you a damn good lawyer."

"I know a few. I'll get this thing settled and out of our way."

"I trust you." Arizona says giving me a kiss. "Now how about we test out that hand of yours. You know, just to make sure it's ready for tomorrow and all your fingers function properly." She throws me a wink and a sly smile.

"Got any suggestions?"

"A few. Follow me to the bedroom, slugger." Talk it out and get it on. Maybe Mark was right after all.

 **Thanks for reading and thanks to musicforsoul for continuing to help me out!**

 **AN: It probably goes without saying, but I have very little legal or medical knowledge. I just use my good friend Google!**


	20. Chapter 20

I don't own anything…all credit goes to ABC/Shondaland.

 **Hope you enjoy!**

Chapter Twenty

Arizona's POV

It's been a week since Callie told me about the possibly having to pay up for hitting that guy. I hate that she has to pay anything, but she put herself in that situation. I completely understand why she punched him, although I deeply wish she didn't. After our talk in the kitchen she immediately got a lawyer the next day. She hasn't told me much, and I'm not asking because the entire situation still isn't sitting well with me, but I'll get over it. All I know is that she's constantly checking her phone and emailing and calling her lawyer back and forth. I can tell it's stressing her out and I really don't want that for her. It's not good for her health and with our progress with the IVF; it won't be good for her body when we implant the embryo. When Callie's stressed, I'm stressed and it begins a ripple effect. For the past ten minutes I've been watching her type away on her phone, but right now really isn't the moment for that.

"Callie."

"Huh…" She says without looking up from her device.

"Callie…"

"Yeah babe."

"Can you at least look at me, please?" She lets out a sigh before giving me her attention.

"What's up, Arizona?"

"What's up?" Letting out a dry laugh, I point out our environment in hopes that it will trigger her memory. We had a midday appointment at the doctor's office. We're waiting for a nurse to come back with my blood test. It's a routine check up just to make sure everything is progressing smoothly. If so, we can proceed with the additional hormones and in another week it'll be time to harvest my eggs. "What's up is that we're in the doctor's office and you've been on your phone practically the entire time. I know you're figuring out stuff, but can you just put it down until our appointment is over?"

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry." She comes over to where I'm sitting on the patient table and gives me an apologetic smile. "I'm just really trying to put this case to rest and we're making some good progress."

"That's great, honey, but there's a time and a place for everything and this isn't the time or place for that." I happily pluck the phone out of her hand and she doesn't object. She gives me a kiss on the forehead and tucks some loose strands of hair behind my ear.

"You're beautiful, you know that?"

"I do because I have a wonderful wife who tells me all the time."

"She sounds pretty great."

"Oh trust me, she is." The nurse returning to the room interrupts our light banter and we devote our attention to her.

"Thanks for being patient with us, ladies. We have results!" The nurse opens the folder and Callie takes hold of one my hands.

"Good results I hope." Callie anxiously responds.

"Good results indeed, Mrs. Torres. Arizona, it appears that your body is responding well to the hormones. The labs are coming back very good. I'll send you home with the next round and in a week we'll be ready to harvest."

"Oh that's wonderful." I reply letting out a deep breath I didn't even realize I was holding.

"How are you feeling? How's your body been reacting? Any discomfort?"

"No, not really." I say looking to Callie. "I have a little soreness from the injection area, but that's about it."

"Tell her about that other night." Callie nudges.

"Oh that was nothing." I quickly shove off.

"Arizona, just tell her."

"Even if you think it's small I should still know." The nurse comments.

"Okay, well a couple of days ago I just had a bad headache, but I don't think it was from the drugs. I had a really long day at work and had been grading papers for almost two hours that night. Besides that nothing."

"You sure?"

"Positive." I respond with a nod of the head.

"Alright, well anymore headaches you should call us. That's a side effect and we want to make sure the hormones aren't effecting your body negatively."

"Oh trust me, we'll call." Callie says. "Is there a chance we could talk to doctor Brown?"

"She's actually meeting with another patient right now and is booked all day. I'll be sure to pass along the results and she'll be the one performing the harvest. Make sure to schedule another appointment for next week. Timing is very important for this procedure."

"We'll be sure to do that." I say standing up. "Thanks again for everything."

"Not a problem. Keep up the good work. See you soon." The nurse exits and Callie and I are alone once more.

"Looks like we're right on track. Do you have time to grab a quick lunch?"

"Actually I don't." My wife answers regretfully. "I have another surgery soon and the Chief is on my ass cause I missed for my time for "being silly" as he calls it."

"I understand. Will you be home early?"

"We'll see how this afternoon goes. It's kind of a tricky surgery so I was thinking of just crashing at the hospital to monitor the patient over night. I know Fridays are our family movie night, but I might have to skip this one. I have another surgery early tomorrow too."

"Tomorrow Sof has a birthday party. Will you be home by then to watch Noah?"

"Uh, what time is the party?"

"Two in the afternoon. It's been on the calendar for a month."

"I know I know I just forget sometimes. Can you take Noah with you?"

"I would, but after I drop Sof off I have a lunch date with Teddy. I guess I could ask the sitter."

"No, no." She objects. "I'll be home."

"Before two?"

"Two? I thought you said four."

"Callie, I did not—"

"I'm kidding!" Callie laughs. "I heard you. The party is at two. I'll be home before then. I promise." Her phone dings and I remember that I had it tucked away in my pocket. I pass it to her and she looks over it quickly before putting it away. "I really should get going."

"Yeah, me too. So this is it for almost twenty-four hours, huh?"

"I'll call tonight. I always do." She presses a kiss to my lips and with a tug on her scrub pants I pull her in closer and let the kiss linger.

"I hate when you don't come home. The bed is big and lonely without you."

"Have Noah and Sof sleep with you. They love to do that."

"Maybe I will." Before we leave the office we make another appointment and then go our separate ways. The rest of the day was pretty easy for me. I had three classes to teach in the afternoon and after that I was off to pick up the kids from school.

"So what movie are we watching tonight?" I ask Sof and Noah as we drive home. "Last week it was Frozen…again."

"Molly at school said she liked Inside Out."

"Inside Out, I don't think we've seen that one. Does that sound okay, Noah?"

"Yeah." He says preoccupied with something outside the window.

"You okay, how was school?"

"It was good. I play tag at recess!"

"Tag sounds fun, although it's getting a little chilly out."

"So Inside Out, mommy?" Sofia asks redirecting the conversation.

"Yeah, that sounds perfect!" As soon as we get home Noah went straight up to his room for a nap, which probably explains his lack of enthusiasm from earlier. My little guy was just tired. Sofia kept busy in her room while I straightened up the house, wrapped the gift for Sof's party tomorrow, and had a brief phone call with my mom.

"Hi mommy." Noah mumbles, still a little hazy from his nap. He crawls up on the bed and snuggles in next to me.

"How was your nap?"

"Good. I'm hungry."

"It is getting close to dinner time. What do you want?"

"Pizza!" He answers with a jolt of energy. "Please mommy."

"Well since you asked so nicely pizza it is."

"Is mama home?"

"No, she's gotta work late tonight." I say rubbing his little head full of hair. "She'll be home tomorrow."

"I miss mama."

"Me too, bud. Hey, what do you think about surprising mama at work with pizza for dinner?"

"Really?!"

"Yeah, then we can come back here and watch Inside Out in our big bed."

"Yay, let's do it!" I call for Sofia to come into the room and she's one hundred percent down to have dinner at the hospital with Callie. Another hour goes by before we finally arrive at the hospital. With a hot, fresh pizza in hand, Sof and Noah lead the way to Callie's office having been there many times before. They say hello to all the doctors they know in passing, even getting a few hugs and high fives from people.

"Oooh, please tell me that pizza is for me." We run into April on the way and she takes a whiff of the pizza box.

"You're welcome to have a slice." I playfully offer. "We're headed to meet Callie."

"She didn't mention you guys were stopping by."

"It's a surprise." Sofia cheers.

"Well that's wonderful! I actually just finished a surgery with her. I think she said she was headed back to her office."

"Great, see ya later April."

"Have fun." Once we part it's only a few more steps until we reach my wife's office. Noah knocks and we are immediately called in.

"Mama!" He takes off straight for Callie's desk and throws himself into her lap.

"Whoa! Slow down there, Noah. What are you guys doing here?"

"We bring dinner to you!" Sofia says taking a seat on the couch. "We missed you."

"Well I miss you guys too." With Noah on her hip, she gets up to greet Sof and I before closing the office door.

"This isn't a bad time is it?"

"It's never a bad time to see you three. Come on let's eat. The pizza smells heavenly." I clear a space for the pizza and paper plates on the coffee table. Noah joins his sister on the couch and Callie grabs four bottles of water out of her mini fridge. I pull over her desk chairs and make a little makeshift dinner table.

"So, how did the surgery go?"

"It was touch and go. We're monitoring him closely."

"Did you fix his leg, mama?"

"Actually Sof the patient was a woman and she a double hip replacement." Callie answers. "We used a new technique to hopefully help speed up her recovery."

"Did it work?" She asks with a mouth full of pizza.

"Right now yes. We have to see how her body responds to it. Enough surgery talk, tell me about school." We spend the next thirty minutes talking about school and other things before we began to wrap up.

"Well, we should probably get going. We've distracted you enough as it is." I help Callie clean and fix up her office from our little impromptu dinner.

"It didn't bother me one bit, but you guys have a movie to get home to watch and I should check on my patient. I need you two to do me a huge favor though." Callie joins Sof and Noah on the couch and has their undivided attention. "I need you guys to keep mommy company tonight, can you do that for me? I won't be there tonight and that big bed can get a little lonely, but with you guys there I'm sure it'll help."

"I call middle!"

"No, I want the middle." Sofia objects.

"How about mommy sleeps in the middle and you two sleep beside her?"

"Okay." They reluctantly agree.

"Now that's settled I think we can head out." Callie gives them each a big hug and a kiss and helps them put their jackets on before we head out.

"Thanks for dinner. I'll see you guys tomorrow." As soon as we got home I gave them each a quick bath before we all got into our pajamas and settled into bed. They both made it just past the halfway mark of the movie before falling asleep. I, surprisingly, was pretty interested in the movie and finished it all by myself. Just as I was about to fall asleep, my phone rings and I quickly reach over Sofia to grab it before it wakes either of them up.

"Hello?" I answer getting out of bed.

"Why are you whispering? Oh wait, is the movie still on? I for sure that it'd be over by now." Callie responds.

"No it's off. I didn't want to wake them."

"Ohhhh, I can call you later…"

"No, no it's fine. I moved to the guest room. I can talk freely now." I say sitting down in a chair in our extra bedroom. "How did everything go?"

"Good. She's responding to the post-op meds very well. I think the new technique really worked."

"That's great, Calliope! I'm happy for you." Fighting off a yawn, I decide to lie down on the guest bed instead.

"Babe, you sound tired. I can talk to you tomorrow."

"It's really okay. What are you doing for the rest of the night?"

"Not much. I might try and get a few hours of sleep in before my surgery in the morning, but I'm not that sleepy now. I'm actually still kind of wired from the operation. Maybe I'll head down to the pit to see if I can help out."

"Friday night, I'm sure there are bound to be a few accidents."

"Exactly. How was movie night?"

"The usual. They didn't finish it all, which only means they will be asking to watch it again and again."

"You would think they would make kids movies shorter, but now they are almost two hours long. That just seems excessive."

"You've got a valid point there, babe. You did miss something really cute though."

"Nooo," Callie fake whines. "I hate missing cute things. What happened?"

"Noah decided to wear his Superman pajamas and for five minutes straight he kept jumping off the bed trying to fly. Sofia thought it was hysterical because he would always land in the same spot." I chuckle to myself just thinking about it again.

"He loves to jump off stuff."

"He does and it's cute. For those few seconds his mid air he has the biggest smile on his face."

"He's got your smile."

"No he doesn't." I bashfully play off. "You're just saying that."

"I'm saying it cause it's true! Trust me, I know that irresistible smile when I see it."

"Yeah yeah…"

"You said you're in the guest room, right?"

"Mhmm."

"So tell me, what are you wearing?" Looking down at myself once more I'm just in some regular pajamas, nothing fancy.

"Uh, blue pajamas. Why—oh wait, was supposed to be like a sexy 'what are you wearing' cause if so I totally messed it up."

"It's okay." Callie laughs. "I'm sure those blue pjs look excellent on you."

"Wait, wait ask me again. I'm ready." Shaking my head at my own foolish answer, I sit up and am fully prepared for this conversation. "Do the seductive voice thing too."

"Arizona." Callie chuckles again at my antics.

"Just ask me again."

"Okay, okay." She clears her throat and begins again. "What are you wearing?"

"Nothing." Expecting Callie to respond, I'm surprised to hearing nothing in return. "Hello, Callie? I said I'm wearing nothing. I'm completely naked. Birthday suit and all."

"Yeah I heard you, it's just. Well now I'm thinking about the blue pajamas again."

"Callie…"

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry. I thought I was better at this."

"Clearly talking dirty over the phone isn't our thing anymore." I joke. "We've lost our mojo."

"It's not lost…just misplaced." Even through the phone I can hear that blaring, devilish device and I know what that means. "I'm being paged."

"Go be amazing. Love you."

"Love you too." Once we hang up I return to the bedroom and join the kids in some much-needed sleep. The next morning went by fairly quick as they kids watched their usual morning cartoons and I made us breakfast. We lounged around for a little bit before Noah decided to play with his racecars and Sofia took it upon herself to try on a bunch of different outfits for birthday party later. I ventured to the basement to get a couple loads of clothes washed.

"I've been looking all over for you." My wife says surprising my in the laundry room with a burst of energy.

"Hey, you're home early." I check my watch and notice she's home way earlier than I expected her. "Surgery didn't go well?"

"On the contrary, it went very well! I was able to escape early that's all." Wrapping me up in a big hug, she practically lifts me off the floor.

"Well, well. What's gotten into you?"

"Just a good morning, that's all. My patient from last night is recovering well and my morning operation was a success. Not to mention I get to come home to my beautiful wife and two wonderful kids." She grins happily. "I'll even offer to finish the laundry."

"I'm not going to pass up that enticing offer." As soon as our lips meet I feel her arms circle my waist and pull me in close. She slowly walks us back until my back meets the wall with a small thud. She removes an arm to shut the laundry door next to us and I feel her smile against my lips.

"Callie…" I ask breaking our kiss for some air.

"Before you ask," She aggressively unbuttons my jeans and pushes them down my legs. "The girl is trying on her fourth outfit, she told as she politely kicked me out her room. The boy is in the living room on the floor with toy cars and trucks. We've got ten minutes." A firm thigh is pushed between my legs and I immediately start grinding down on it. My lips attack hers as I thrust my tongue her mouth greedily. I dip my hands into the back of her navy scrub pants and grab her ass as I grind down harder on her. After a few seconds she removes her thigh and pushes my underwear down. Running her fingers through my slick folds, she begins kissing on my neck. Feeling her hot breath on my skin turns me over with each passing second.

"I love this feeling." She whispers in my ear. "You all wet for me, Ari. Fuck, I love it." She easily slides two fingers into me and begins doing what she does so well. One hand begins holding on to her brown tresses as my hips meet each of her thrusts.

"Harder, Callie…keep going…right there, yes! Right there, baby." I can only hope that I'm not being too loud as I'm beginning to lose all self-control. The tingling, pleasurable sensation begins to roll through my body as my wife continues to penetrate my deeper. "Mhmm, baby I'm close."

"Like super closer or kinda close?"

"Well if you keep doing what you're doing I'll be super close." She gives me a passionate kiss and slowly pulls out of me. As much as I want to kill her for doing that, she quickly drops to her knees before me and puts my right leg over her shoulder.

"I think I'll finish you off down here." She slyly smiles. Her mouth replaces her fingers as she licks through my wet folds and pushes her tongue inside of me. I can barely keep my balance against the wall as my hips move at their own pace against her face. My heavy breaths fill the empty sound in the room as she continues her pleasurable assault. I push her face impossibly closer to my core and a few swipes of her magic tongue against my sensitive bundle of nerves sends me over the edge. I heavy breathing slows to me an even pace as my wife gives me a few more lazy licks before standing up before me again.

"That was definitely a surprise."

"I'm hoping a good one."

"A surprise orgasm is the best on there is, well one of them anyway."

"I think all orgasms are good."

"Yeah, you're right on that one." She gives me a quick peck and strips out of her clothes. I start to think we're about to go again, but then it dawns on me that she's taking them off to put them in the washer. She grabs a pair of clean, folded pants and slips those on along with a t-shirt.

"Not that I don't love the sight, but you might wanna put these on." Callie tosses me a fresh pair of underwear. "Or not, it's up to you." She smirks.

"But if you love the sight so much, why should I cover it up?" I tease as she looks me over again and bites her lower lip. "Don't you want another taste?" Snatching the underwear out my hand, she cups my center again and brings her lips to my ear.

"If you're asking if I want to have my tongue buried deep inside you again that's a definite yes." She husks with a sex-laced tone. "Anytime, any place, Ari."

"Any place, huh? I might just take you up on that." I kiss her once more, but this time a knock surprises us both.

"Jesus Christ that scared me." Callie says removing her hand from my sex. "One second." She hurriedly calls out as we both make ourselves decent.

"Mama, I need help tying a ribbon in my hair." Sofia sweetly acknowledges.

"I'd love to help you with that, Sof. Just give me a second." Callie buys some more time as I zip up my jeans give her an okay nod. She swings open the door and there our daughter is with a purple ribbon in hand. "Let's get this ribbon in your hair so you look all pretty for the party! Upstairs little lady." Callie instructs.

"Once your hair is done get some shoes on, little miss. We gotta get going. We don't wanna be late."

"I'm gonna wear my purple shoes too!" She says running up the basement stairs.

"Callie." Tugging on her arm to get her attention, I lean into her. "Wash your hands first because they are very, very, dirty." I give her a wink and a little tap on the ass as we continue upstairs. Soon Sof and I are out the house and on the way to the party. Callie promised to finish the laundry before taking Noah Halloween costume shopping. Once I dropped Sof off and talked to a few of the other parents I was on my way to meet Teddy for late afternoon lunch.

"How's the bread?" Coming up behind Teddy, I notice her buttering up a big piece of bread and take my seat at the table.

"God, so good. I eat bread and chips all day long." She confesses. "This baby loves carbs. How are you?"

"Good, I feel like I don't see you at school as often."

"I know that's why I suggested this lunch." A waiter comes over and gives us some water as I begin looking over the menu for something to eat. "Speaking of work I have some news."

"Okay…"

"This is going to be my last year."

"Please, don't hold back." I jokingly tease. "Seriously, Teds?"

"Yeah, with the baby coming in the spring and with Henry's busy job it's probably best. He makes more than enough money for both of us and we've talked it over. I'm happy with the decision. I'll be a stay at home mom and I'll be able to travel more with Henry and the team."

"As long as you're happy then I'm happy for you. I'll miss you though."

"I'll still be around and the baby and I can stop by for some lunch every now and then. You'll see me."

"I know, but it won't be the same. After I had Noah I briefly thought about being a stay at home mom, but then I realized I'd miss teaching too much."

"I get that. I think I'm really going to step into the player's partner role too. It's kinda like girlfriend and wives of the team club. It's a whole different world full of charity galas and event planning. It's a nice group of ladies, so that should help the boredom."

"Not to mention you'll have a newborn to take care off. That's work in itself."

"Exactly." Our waiter comes over and takes our orders.

"So, how's the pregnancy coming along?"

"Good, although Henry is overly protective. I swear her thinks I'm a dried up leaf that will crumble at any moment. He won't let me do anything by myself."

"Aww, that's cute."

"No it's annoying." Teddy snaps. "And we got into a little fight over a nanny. I don't want one, but Henry thinks we should get one for when the season starts up again and he's traveling."

"A little help doesn't hurt. I was totally against a nanny or a babysitter, but Callie wore me down and changed my mind. Our sitter, Emma, she's great. We only use her for date night or if one of us can't watch them for some reason. The kids love her."

"A babysitter I get, but Henry is talking about a full-blown live in nanny. Someone who cooks, cleans, takes care of the kid, and runs errands."

"Huh, that's a little much."

"That's what I said! We don't need that especially if I'm going to be home more."

"I'm sure you two will come to some sort of agreement. Besides that, how is everything?"

"Good. The nursery is almost done. We settled on a neutral peach color."

"Ooooh that sounds pretty." My phone dings and I grab it from my bag. It's a text from Callie.

 **Just talked to the lawyer. We've reached a settlement.** Instead of replying, I decide to leave it alone and wait talk about it until I get home.

"Everything okay?"

"Yeah, just a message from Callie."

"Good or bad?"

"I honestly don't know."

 **Thanks for reading and to musicforsoul as usual!**


	21. Chapter 21

I don't own anything…all credit goes to ABC/Shondaland

 **Hope you enjoy!**

 **AN: fyi, this chapter picks up a few hours after the end of the last one…**

Chapter Twenty-One

Callie's POV

"Callie, you wanna come in here and help me?" My wife calls from the en suite. "You know I don't like doing this alone."

"Yeah, just a second." I call back. I'm in bed reading over the settlement contract one more time on my iPad. I just want to make sure I understand everything for myself before I send off a check to my lawyer who will send it to that jerk's lawyer.

"Callie." Arizona says peaking head around out of the bathroom. "Now." Tossing my device to the side, I join my wife in the bathroom.

"Okay, I'm here. Now pass me that syringe."

"This is our last week!" Arizona exclaims giddily. "Friday will be here before you know it." With our harvesting appointment coming up at the end of the week, anticipation that everything works out perfectly is rapidly building.

"Thanks again for doing this. Getting injected multiple times a day for two weeks isn't exactly easy."

"You don't have to thank me," Arizona gives me a nod and I inject the syringe into skin very carefully. "I'm happy to do it. Especially if it means we get a cute baby out of it."

"Ah yes, I can't wait for the spit up, nonstop crying, and dirty diapers." I joke.

"That's the spirit!" Arizona gives me a kiss on the cheek and heads back into the bedroom while I clean up all the hormone stuff. "Can I read the contract?"

"Sure, go for it." Turning off the en suite light, I join my wife in bed.

"I have to say you lawyer is impressive. To go from ten million dollars all the way down to half a million is amazing."

"Well five hundred thousand plus medical bills." I correct.

"Still, that's less than a million total. I for sure thought you'd had to cough up more than that."

"I did too, but asking for ten million was ridiculous. It isn't like he's Will Smith or George Clooney. He's a little actor who only gets commercial gigs. He shouldn't have been asking for so much."

"I'm just glad this is behind us. How much did you have to pay your lawyer?"

"He actually did it for free." I confess. "He's a family friend that my dad recommended."

"Callie, I told you I didn't want to involve your dad with this."

"He doesn't know about it. I just asked if he knew a lawyer, that's all. Besides, it was a small case. My lawyer said a second year law school student could've negotiated everything. Cheer up, babe." I say pecking her lips. "It's all over."

"Good." Putting an arm around my wife, she leans into my body and rests her head on my chest. "Is the video still online?"

"Nope. My lawyer got it taken down." I happily reveal. "He just threatened the poor soul who uploaded it about taking legal action. It was down within thirty minutes. Legal stuff over, tell me about your lunch with Teddy."

"Oh it was good. She's leaving Seattle Prep at the end of the school year."

"Really, why?"

"Take care of the baby and travel more with Henry. It makes sense, I just hate it."

"Well you've got other co-workers you're friendly with."

"That's true, but I'm closest with Teddy." A soft knock comes on our bedroom door and Sofia strolls in.

"What's wrong, Sof?" I ask sitting up.

"We just tucked you in thirty minutes ago." Arizona comments.

"I can't sleep. Can I sleep with you and mommy?" She pleads softly.

"Of course you can, sweetie. Get in here." Sofia crawls over me and situates herself between my wife and I. "Better?"

"Much better." Arizona clicks on the television to find us something to watch while I lightly run my hands through my daughter's hair as she tries to fall asleep. The remainder of the weekend went smoothly as did the rest of the week. Between school and work, all the days seem to jumble together sometimes. Again, Arizona and I are back at the doctor's office, only this time is different. Not a routine blood work test, its harvest time.

"You nervous?"

"Just a little." As my wife changes into her patient gown, a few nerves get to me too.

"Same, but you're going to be just fine. You won't feel a thing."

"Yeah cause I'll be sedated."

"Trust me, it's for your own benefit. You don't want to feel her poking around down there."

"Knock, knock. Everyone decent?" Doctor Brown asks poking her head into the room.

"We are." Arizona sits on the patient table and I stand right beside her.

"So Arizona tell me," Doctor Brown takes a seat on a stool and gives her undivided attention to my wife. "How are you feeling?"

"Good, a little nervous, but overall really good."

"That's great and don't worry, nerves are normal. I just double-checked your labs and everything is still good. Today's procedure is going to be easy. Once you're sedated I'm going to use an ultrasound to look inside. It'll help guide me as I insert the needle to start removing your eggs. Again, you won't feel a thing but I just want you to know what's going on."

"I appreciate it."

"I can stay in the room, right?"

"Of course you can, doctor Torres." She confirms. "You can watch everything I do. Now, we have you donor sample in another lab. So as soon as I'm done with you, your eggs and the sperm will be mixed together in an incubator."

"That sounds so scientific." My wife teases.

"That's cause it is." Doctor Brown chuckles. "We have a short window for everything. So in three days time you two will be back and I'll transfer the embryo into doctor Torres. Everything sound good?" Arizona and I exchange happy glances and nod to our doctor.

"Perfect, so let's get started." Doctor Brown begins organizing the room and medical instruments needed to her liking. "Feet up in the stirrups, please."

"I'm right here, okay?" I whisper to my wife before she gets sedated. "You're going to do fantastic, babe. I love you."

"Love you too, Calliope." I give her a kiss on her forehead and doctor Brown administers the sedative drug. After a few seconds, she snaps on a new pair of latex gloves and prepares the ultrasound machine and the long needle.

"I take it since you're a doctor you won't be too freaked out watching me insert this big needle into your wife?"

"I'll be okay." I give a short smile and try not to look at the large medical instrument. "Do people usually get alarmed when they see it?" I ask curiously.

"I've only had one person pass out. Usually people look away or look at their spouse or partner. The procedure seems intimidating, but it's really not." Checking over my wife one last time, she concludes that Arizona is fully sedated. "Let's get this show on the road, shall we?" I give a soft smile and let the doctor do her job. The extraction goes off without a hitch and my wife's eggs are quickly transferred to another lab while I wait for her to come to full consciousness again.

"Hey there sleepy, how was the nap?" I ask my wife as her eyes begin to flutter open. "You did great."

"I did?"

"Yeah."

"Of course I did. It's cause I'm awesome." She flashes a big smile and sits up straighter. "So what now?"

"Now I take you home so you can rest. You should lay down for the rest of the day."

"What about Sof and Noah?"

"When school is out I'll pick them up. I was thinking about taking them to one of those indoor playground things for a little while."

"Ahh, Arizona. You're awake!" Doctor Brown re-enters the room. "I've got good news for both of you. We were able to extract a good number of eggs, which is always a plus. Come back at the beginning of the week and it will be Callie's turn on the table. I would try and relax for the rest of the day. You may feel some mild cramping, which isn't unusual."

"Thank you so much for your help." I say shaking her hand. "We really appreciate it."

"Of course, it's my pleasure. We still have a little ways to go, but so far so good. Get some rest, Arizona. I'll see you two next week." As the doctor exits, I pass my wife her clothes and she begins to change into them.

"You hungry? I can pick up something on the way home."

"That does sound good." My wife says slipping on her jeans. "Maybe some soup and a sandwich?"

"Anything you want, babe." Once she's fully dressed with make another appointment on our way out. After picking up some lunch we headed home. "How about you head up and change into some pajamas and I'll bring your food up to you." Placing all the food on the kitchen counter, I begin platting everything.

"You know I hate eating in the bed. I find crumbs everywhere."

"I know you do, but I think this is an appropriate time for it. If it makes you feel any better I'll clean the bed and wash the sheets later."

"Well aren't I just a lucky girl?" After sharing a brief kiss, I give her a little tap on the ass. "Now take the cute little behind of yours upstairs and get comfy in bed. I'll be up in a second." She gives me a wink on the way out and I finish getting everything ready. After a few minutes I'm ready to head up, but my phone rings stopping me in my tracks. It's the hospital.

"Wilson, I said call me only in case of emergency."

"I know, and I'm so sorry doctor Torres," Jo replies remorsefully, "But this is an emergency. Bad accident on the high way and Chief says it's all hands on deck. We need you here."

"Fine, I'll be there as soon as I can." Dropping my phone on the counter, I remove my food and only head up with Arizona's. "Okay, one turkey sandwich and a piping hot cup of chowder."

"Looks delicious!" Arizona licks her lips in anticipation as I bring the tray over to her in bed. She's wrapped up in pajamas and a very fluffy robe. "Thank you, Calliope. Go grab your food too and join me. There's a nice empty spot in the bed calling your name." She says tapping the extra bed space next to her. "You know how long it's been since we've both had the afternoon off?"

"Arizona, I—"

"We can curl up and watch a movie. A non-animated movie with curse words and explosive action scenes. Although I am feeling a little tired so I may fall asleep during it, but don't fault me for that. I just had a large needle inside my vagina." She chuckles as she continues on with her cute ramble. "Change into those navy yoga pants I got you. Okay full confession, I got them mostly because they make your ass look fantastic, but they are also really comfy. To be honest your ass looks great in everything, but something about the tightness of those yoga pants really accentuate your curves. So, food, yoga pants, bed, me. Chop chop." She finally takes a breath and begins eating her food."

"Uhh, Calliope…" She says with a mouthful. I hate to ruin our afternoon, but when work calls I have to go. I give her my best sympathetic face and hope she understands. "No, no, no. I know that look."

"Wilson called and there's a bad accident."

"There's always a bad accident or a broken leg or cracked hip or something." Arizona comments agitated. "I really hate your job sometimes."

"Are you going to be okay?" Truthfully I don't want to leave her, but it's all hands on deck and car accidents usually mean lots of broken bones.

"I have no choice, right? When it's me versus the hospital the hospital always wins."

"Don't say that, Arizona. That's not true."

"But it is true, Callie!"

"Arizona, look—I," Before I say anything I may possibly regret I decide to leave it alone and just leave. "I'll be back. Just call me if you need anything."

"Wouldn't want to be a bother." She quips sassily with an eye roll.

"You're not a bother and you know that."

"Just go. I'm going to eat this and go take a nap." When I give her a kiss goodbye she turns her mouth away so I only get her cheek. "Bye Callie." While I much rather stay in and have cute afternoon with my wife I can't and I hate it, but it is what it is.

"About time Torres. We need you in here." Bailey says hovering over an injured body. "Check out that femur."

"It's totally broken." Analyzing the body, I start thinking about the best way to operate. "The femoral shaft is a mess."

"Can you fix it?"

"I mean I can certainly try, but—"

"Torres, I need you to fix it." The short woman says sternly. "This man and his wife got smashed by a truck going way over the speed limit. Not to mention his wife is in another operating room and is seven months pregnant. She's not looking too good and they have to deliver the baby early. I really don't want them to end up without a mother or a father. So I need you to fix that femur."

"I'll do my best, Bailey."

"That's all I'm asking, Torres. You do your best down there and I'll try and salvage this liver." We both operate quietly and efficiently as the time continues to tick away. The patient has been mostly stable with only one drop in blood pressure, but Bailey being Bailey, she got him stable again. "You mighty quiet down there, Torres. You're usually one of the chatty ones."

"Sorry, just got a lot on my mind. Personal stuff."

"Try me."

"You hate personal stuff." I give Bailey a perplexed glare and she returns with a little shoulder shrug.

"True, but I also know I need something to talk about." Without going too deep, I take Bailey up on her offer.

"It's just the job. It really gets to Arizona sometimes."

"I thought she was okay with it. I mean you guys have been together for a while now."

"She is okay with it, it just sometimes the phone rings or the pager buzzes at the worst time possible and I have to leave. I had taken the day off because I needed to be with her, but then I had to up and leave."

"Well is she alright? You're making it sound like she's really sick or something."

"She's fine, but this accident couldn't have come at a worse time, that's all. I hate to even say that."

"Look, no one plans major car accidents. As weird as it is, we have jobs because of those horrible accidents." Bailey tries to reason.

"I just hate leaving her upset. Most days she so understanding, but sometimes she just looks at me like I'm the worst person in the world."

"Don't beat yourself up, Torres. That woman loves you. She knows it's your job."

"Doctor Bailey, how's he doing?" Meredith asks coming into the OR.

"He should make it. Torres, the femur?"

"I'm trying to salvage as much as I can. Long road to recovery. How's the wife Grey?"

"She didn't make it." Meredith says shaking her head. "Too much trauma."

"The babies?"

"They came early, but are doing good. Twins. A bog and a girl. They're going to need their dad."

"We're trying, Grey. We're trying." Meredith nods and leaves. I begin to question Bailey about her rumored call room rendezvous, much to my amusement and her dismay.

"Good work in there, Torres. I needed a save today."

"I'm glad I could help."

"Hey, what are you doing for Halloween tomorrow?" The general surgeon asks as we scrub out. "You should bring the kids by my place. Tuck and I are throwing a little party."

"Aw, that sounds fun. I'm working though. I'll tell Arizona about it—crap, what time is it?"

"Uh, half past four, why?"

"I have to go. I was supposed to pick up the kids an hour ago." Quickly washing my hands, I head out of the scrub room and bump into the Chief.

"Slow down, Torres. How'd the surgery go?"

"It went fine, sir. I really need to—"

"Oh that's great to hear." He says interrupting me. "Most of the people who came in died shortly after. Only a few saves today. Horrible what happened."

"It is, but I really need to get—"

"How's your lab research coming along? Always continue to innovate, Torres! The future of medicine depends on it. I'd love to see what you've got coming along, I think—"

"Respectfully Chief, I don't have time to talk. I'm over an hour late to pick up my kids from school and my wife had a little procedure done today, so she's resting up at home."

"Well quit chatting with me, Torres. Go handle your business." He says ushering me on my way. I stop in my office to grab my bag and phone and notice I have three missed calls from the kid's school. Luckily the school isn't that far from the hospital and I make it there within fifteen minutes.

"See Sofia, I told you your mother would be here." Sof's teacher gives me a smile as I walk into her classroom. "Sometimes people get stuck in traffic."

"I'm so sorry I'm late. I totally lost track of time." I apologize profusely to the teacher who is very understanding. Sofia on the other hand is giving me her best pout possible.

"It's alright. It happens. Have a good weekend, Sof." She waves goodbye to her teacher and continues to sulk.

"I'm sorry, Sof." I take her hand and we had to Noah's classroom.

"You late, mama."

"I know I am. I'm sorry I was at work."

"Mommy is never late." Taking a deep breath, I decide to let her be. Upon entering Noah's classroom I see him playing on the floor with a frown on his face.

"Noah, your mom is here." His teacher says. I apologize again and just like Sof's teacher he understands the situation. They both pout all the way to the car and hardly say a peep.

"You guys wanna go to an indoor play ground?"

"I wanna see mommy." Sof crosses her arms across her chest for added effect and Noah mimics her.

"So I guess that's a no." I mumble to myself. The drive home is quiet and as soon as we get home they run up to see Arizona. The day began so promising and now it seems the majority of the household is upset with me. I grab a bottle of water from the fridge and go down to the basement. Close to thirty minutes pass before Arizona comes down, still dressed in her pajamas and robe.

"How are you feeling?" I ask softly.

"Fine." Taking a seat next to me, she clicks off the television and we both sit in silence for a few seconds.

"They said you were late."

"I lost track of time."

"You know if you're going to be late the least you could do is call the school so they know." She responds calmly. "Or call me. I would've got them."

"By the time I realized I was late I was already on my way. Besides, you needed to rest."

"I did. I had a good lunch and slept like a baby for two and a half hours."

"Good." A few more moments of silence go by before she speaks again. "I'm sorry about earlier. I was being selfish and wanting you all for myself. I just wanted a few hours with you alone."

"I did too. Trust me, I much rather have been here with you then in an OR."

"I know that. I do." Changing positions, she moves to sit on my lap. I recline the chair so we both fall back. "I was just being cranky."

"Are we sure about this?" Switching topics, Arizona gives me a confused glare. "The baby. Don't get me wrong I want another kid, but how can we balance it all?"

"We'll figure something out. That's our only option."

"You're right. Today I just felt like I failed."

"Hey, you didn't fail. Being late to pick up the kids is not the worst thing possible. They were safe in school."

"But you were mad at me when I left."

"Yeah, for like five minutes and then I got over it." She quickly counters. "I was just in a mood. It was nothing against you or your job."

"Another kid means less you and me time."

"In the beginning yes, maybe. But we'll figure it out. We did when we had Noah and we'll do it again. You're important to me and I love you, so I'm always going to make time for you."

"Me too." We share a few kisses before little feet come barreling down the steps.

"Mama! Can we go to the inside play place now?" Sof asks.

"I thought you guys didn't want to do." Sitting both of us up, Arizona moves to her own seat.

"We do now!" Noah cheers. "Please mama. Pleaseeee."

"Okay, okay. We can go. Go put you shoes on." They hurry back up the stairs and we follow behind them.

"I thought they were mad at me."

"They're kids. One minutes they are mad and the next they are your best friend."

"You wanna join us?"

"Of course I do. Let me change fast and we can go!" The rest of the evening turned out well. The next day was Halloween, which meant another long day at the hospital for me. Arizona took the kids to Bailey's party and sent me frequent texts. Sunday and Monday came and went and once again we were at the doctor's office.

"You're not getting tired of seeing me yet, are you?" Doctor Brown asks setting up the exam room.

"Not one bit." Arizona responds. "You bring good news."

"That I do. I have so more for you two today. We were able to fertilize a good portion of your eggs with your chosen donor sperm. We're only going to implant a few the rest will be saved if this first cycle doesn't work. To be frank, just because the eggs were fertilized doesn't mean they will mature inside Callie. Science is a beautiful thing, but it doesn't always work out the way it supposed to. So just be prepared. Like I said, we still have some frozen fertilized embryos in the lab, so we can always try again."

"We understand." My wife says taking my hand. "We know our chances, but we're choosing to just think extremely positively."

"There's nothing wrong with that. I happen to believe a positive attitude goes a long way. Ready Callie?"

"As ready as I'll ever be." With the roles reversed, Arizona is now at my side as doctor Brown begins the embryo transfer. It's fairly painless and doesn't take long at all.

"All done!" Taking off her purple latex gloves, doctor Brown stands up and gives us a smile. "It went smoothly. You feel alright, doctor?"

"I feel fine." I answer honestly.

"Great. Now, I'm going to prescribe you one last hormone. It's just to help aid implantation. Inject it once a day for two weeks. Then come back for a blood test. I know it might be tempting, but try and resist a home pregnancy test. They are usually very reliable, but with IVF it's good to wait for the blood test results. No strenuous activity today. Any pain or any discomfort let me know, okay?"

"Sounds good, doc. Thank you." We both shake her hand before she leaves. I love over at my wife and she has a huge grin on her face.

"What's the look for?"

"Oh nothing." She teases.

"Arizona…"

"I mean you could be pregnant right now!" She yelps enthusiastically.

"Babe, I don't think it works that fast." I laugh.

"Okay you might be right, but still just think. You could be cooking a little Torres right now inside you."

"You're adorable, you know that?" Pulling her towards me she wraps her arms around my neck.

"Sof and Noah are adorable. I'm hot!" She exclaims proudly.

"That you are, babe. Very hot indeed." Pressing her lips against mine, I can't help but tighten my arms around her waist and pull her even closer.

"This is all very exciting, Calliope."

"So what do we do now?

"Only one thing to do." She says looking into my eyes. "We wait."

 **Thanks for reading and thanks to musicforsoul as usual!**


	22. Chapter 22

I don't own anything…all credit goes to ABC/Shondaland

 **Hope you enjoy!**

Chapter Twenty-Two

Arizona's POV

Callie's pregnant! Well, it hasn't been confirmed yet, but I can totally sense it already. Ever since she got implanted over a week ago I've been picking up on little signs. First is the napping. She's come home on more than one occasion and went straight for a nap. One time she just skipped dinner and went to bed. We're both tired after work, but we hardly take naps when we get home. Between school for the kids and work for us, dinnertime and bath time is the only time we have with the kids besides the weekends. Second, she had morning sickness. Callie said she ate something bad at the hospital and her stomach wasn't feeling well, but I'm convinced it was morning sickness. Third, I think I've just got baby on the brain. It seems that every time I turn on the television or open a magazine I see advertisement for diapers or baby formula. Of course I haven't mentioned any of this to Callie because she would just deny everything, not to mention I could be entirely wrong, but I'm absolutely convinced she's pregnant.

"What can I get ya, miss?"

"Hi, I'll take four apple ciders. Two medium and two smalls, please."

"Sure thing, that'll be ten bucks." I pass the money to the cashier and step to the side so the person behind me can order. Callie and I brought the kids to a fall festival near downtown. It's quite cute actually. There are dozens of small vendors lined up selling everything from homemade jewelry to hand-painted ornaments. Even though it's chilly out, it's still nice to get out the house.

"Here are your drinks, ma'am. Have a good evening!"

"Thanks, you too!" With my tray of drinks in hand, I scan the seating area with hope that Callie and the kids were able to snag a picnic table. It seems that a lot of people had similar ideas and the whole area is pretty crowded. Just as I begin to doubt their luck, Callie stands up and waves me over.

"Alright, here we go. Apple cider for everyone." Joining my family, I take a seat next to Noah and pass everyone their drink. "Be careful, it's hot."

"What do you guys say?" "Callie reminds them.

"Thank you, mommy."

"Yeah, thanks mommy!" Noah echoes his sister. "We got donuts!"

"Oh yeah, babe you have to try these. We got them from a food truck we passed. Homemade donuts freshly made like ten minutes ago." Callie pushes a plate towards me and I happily take a bite of the sugary treat.

"Oh my gosh, this is amazing!" I gush mid-mouthful. "And so warm."

"I know, right? I had two." Callie says taking a sip of her drink.

"I ate mine in three bites!" Noah holds up three fingers for good measure. "It was so yummy, mommy."

"Tell me about it. What about you, Sof? Did you like them?"

"Mhmm." She answers with an aggressive nod. "I had chocolate with sprinkles."

"Yeah, that does sound good, but I'm kind of digging this cinnamon sugar one." Finishing off my donut, Callie passes me a napkin to wipe my face. "Better? How's my mouth?"

"Crumb free." She says pressing a quick kiss to my lips. "And very sweet."

"Just like you." I wink back at her. "You guys want to keep walking around?"

"I wanna go home." Noah announces.

"Wait, I thought we were having fun?"

"I am, but I'm cold."

"Me too." Sofia says. I look to my wife and she's fighting back a big yawn. "Can we leave now?" Our daughter asks.

"You want to go too?" I probe Calliope. "Are you tired?"

"No, I'm okay. Let's walk around for ten more minutes and then we can go. Sound good?"

"You sure?"

"Yeah, I'm positive. Everyone drink up. It'll make you feel a little warmer." As my wife suggested, after we finished our drinks we walked around for another ten minutes before calling it quits and head back to the car. During the drive home the kids are occupied watching something on the DVD player while Callie is busy texting away.

"Is that Mer?"

"Actually no, it's Mark."

"Oh, what does he want?"

"We're planning Sof's schedule. He wants to take her to New York early so they can spend some extra time with his mother, but I don't want to pull her out of school early."

"Well I don't want her missing any school."

"Me neither, but you know how he is. He barely see's Sof as it is and he's asking for as much time as possible." Callie yawns again, and my pregnancy theory is in full force again. "Besides, we're paying too much money for her not to be in class."

"Is it wrong of me to say I hate sharing our kid?" I give her a look before returning my attention to the road. "And I know she's his kid too, but still."

"No, I understand. I hate it too. I used to think if he still lived here that would make a difference, but either way we'd still have to split time. Probably more than we do now. Holidays are tricky because everyone wants time together, but someone always gets the short end of the stick. I'm just trying to make everyone happy."

"You're doing fine, Callie. Relax, everything will work itself out."

"I surely hope so." She yaws again and this time she's surprised by it. "Gosh, I didn't think I was this tired. Today was my day off I hardly did anything at all. Although I did work fourteen hours the day before."

"You know maybe it's a sign." We come to a red light and I turn my attention to her. "All the yawning and naps, maybe…"

"Maybe what?" She gives me a look, but I just stare at her hoping she answers her own question. "Ohhh, you think I'm—oh Arizona, I don't know." She brushes off hastily.

"It's a very real possibility, babe."

"You really think so?" She cracks a little hopeful smile before shaking her head. "I guess we'll just have to wait and see."

"All this waiting is going to drive me crazy." Once the light turns green I resume driving. "Let's just take test."

"Nope." Callie responds firmly. "We are waiting until we go in for our appointment. I want confirmation from the doctor."

"Fine, you're right." I unenthusiastically agree. "We'll wait."

"You better get used to waiting because if I am, you know," She says glancing to the back and being mindful of little ears. "We'll have to wait around eight months for it to actually arrive."

"That I don't mind waiting for. It's this part the bothers me. I'm just so anxious."

"I know you are and so am I. Positive thoughts, right?"

"Right. Positive thoughts."

"Sof, Noah, head up and get ready for baths. We'll be up in a second to help you out." Callie calls out once we enter our home. "I need to get something to drink." My wife tells me as I follow her into the kitchen. I sit back and observe as Callie gets an empty glass and fills it with orange juice. It's another check off my mental checklist. Callie rarely drinks orange juice, she's a coffee drinker all the way, and to see her drink juice now at night is totally random. Of course Callie doesn't say anything and I keep my mouth shut, but this has to be another sign. At least I hope it is because otherwise I'm going crazy.

"Good juice?"

"Yeah." She smiles placing her glass in the sink. "Any plans for tomorrow?"

"Not that I know of. It's another lazy Sunday in the Torres house."

"Maybe if we get up early enough we can head to our favorite breakfast spot before it gets too crowded." My wife suggests coming over to me.

"I like that idea."

"Good." She places a kiss on my cheek and heads towards the stairs. "You coming up?"

"Yep, right behind you babe."

Just like my wife suggested, the next morning we went out to breakfast and luckily beat the Sunday brunch crowd. On the way home we stopped at the store to get something for dinner later and then came home. We watched Sof and Noah play around out back for a while before coming inside and playing some more. The rest of the day was easy as we all kind of just lounged around the house. The following morning Callie got called in early, so I had to get the kids ready alone for school. After dropping them off headed into work.

"Lunch in your office today?" Teddy asks stepping into my classroom. "Wait, why does it look like you're leaving?"

"Cause I am leaving." I smile back. "I have an appointment I need to get to. Hopefully it won't take too long and I'll be back before lunch is over."

"Is everything alright?"

"Yeah, it's just the person I'm going to see is super busy and this is the only time that worked, so I have to skip most of lunch."

"Okay, I hope it all works out. Henry packed me a double lunch because he wants me to eat more for the baby, but I can never finish it all. I'll save you some, just find me when you get back." Teddy leaves and I quickly follow behind her and head to my car. I weave my way through midday traffic and pull up to the doctor's office. I park my car right next to Calliope's and head inside for our appointment.

"Hi. I'm here to see doctor Brown. I have a twelve-thirty appointment." I tell the smiling receptionists. "I think my wife Calliope is already here."

"She is. She's actually waiting in doctor Brown's office, you're free to go in and wait with her. Doctor Brown will be with you shortly."

"Great, thanks!" As instructed I walk into the doctor's office and find Callie in there waiting. "I see you beat me here."

"Hey, I was just about to call you." Callie announces standing up to greet me. "I got here a little early so they could take my blood and run the test."

"Smart." I take a seat in one of the fancy, leather chairs next to my wife. "This feels so formal being in here. I was expecting another patient room."

"So was I, but I guess since she's just going to tell us our results there's no need for a gown and stuff." I notice her right leg bouncing and I put a calming hand over it. "Sorry." She sheepishly grins. "Just a little nervous."

"Me too." We wait in silence together for a few minutes before doctor Brown finally enters.

"Ladies!" She greets us as she takes a seat behind her desk. Always wonderful to see you two! And how are we feeling today?"

"Anxious as hell." Callie admits.

"I totally understand." Our brown-haired doctor opens a folder and begins flipping through pages. If I could read all the doctor stuff I'd probably snatch the folder out her hand and read it for myself, but all I can do is be patient. "This process is not easy. Patience is definitely key."

"So…what's the verdict, doc?" Callie asks. Doctor Brown closes the folder and leans forward, looking each of us in the eye very directly.

"Congratulations, ladies!" She beams. "You're pregnant!"

"I knew it! I totally knew it!" I cheer with excitement. I look to Callie and she looks like she's still in shock.

"Wait, really?"

"Very much so, Callie." The doctor confirms. "Your hCG levels are very high. You are most definitely pregnant!"

"Oh my god, Arizona, we're actually pregnant." She grins pressing a kiss to my lips. "We're having another kid!"

"I know it's amazing!"

"I'm very happy for the both of you. It's always exciting when it happens on the first try. You can come back in a month for your six-week appointment. I'm sure you already know this, but remember no alcohol, drink lots of water, and get plenty of rest. Your body is going to go through some major changes during the first trimester. Given your past health problems we want to be extra careful. I'll be with you ladies through week eight and then it's back to doctor Caplan."

"Just through week eight?" I ask a little confused.

"Yes, and then doctor Caplan will take over. Unless you have another OB you want to work with. I'm just a fertility specialist; you'll want a dedicated OB/GYN to monitor Callie through the rest of the pregnancy. Doctor Caplan and I are good friends and I know he delivered your little boy. You'll be in fantastic hands. He's one of the best."

"That's fine. We like him too." Callie gives me a reassuring look and head nod. "Thanks so much for all your help."

"Honestly, seeing your faces is the most rewarding part of the job. It makes it all worth it. I'll give you a list of prenatal vitamins you can pick up from the store. You don't need them right away, but within the next week or two you should start them."

"Of course, of course." Doctor Brown scribbles some stuff down and passes me the note as Callie and I stand up to leave. "I'll be sure to pick some up today."

"Congratulations again. See you soon!" Once we leave her office we make another appointment with the receptionist and return to our cars.

"Holy shit, I'm pregnant!" Callie announces once we're finally out of the building. "Like there's a kid inside of me right now. We're going to be parents to three kids!"

"I totally knew it, babe. You were taking lots of naps. Not to mention you threw up one morning and I doubt it was the hospital food."

"You're right it wasn't. I actually threw up three times over the past two weeks at the hospital. I didn't tell you because I didn't want to get our hopes up."

"And here I was thinking I was crazy for noticing everything little thing you've been doing."

"You're definitely not crazy." She says leading me to my car. "You were correct all along."

"You know what this means, right?" I ask my wife once the opens the car door for me. "I've got magic eggs."

"Magic eggs?" She laughs raising an eyebrow. "Really, babe?"

"Yes really, Calliope. My magic egg set up shop in your uterus."

"You know how ridiculous that sounds, right?" My wife chuckles.

"Are you laughing at me?" I ask playfully. She shakes her head no, but can't contain her little giggle fit. "You totally are."

"I'm totally not." She says leaning forward and kissing me. As soon as I feel her lips on mine I wrap my arms around her waist and pull her in closer to me. I slip my tongue inside her mouth once she pushes me up against the car. The excitement of the pregnancy news has turned into pure passion and I can't help myself for wanting to feel more of my wife. I move my hands up underneath her navy scrub top, which earns me a soft moan.

"You wouldn't be trying to feel me up in an open parking lot would you?" Callie mumbles against my lips.

"Maybe." I smirk back. She kisses me again before pulling back for good.

"Okay, I need to get back to work."

"You're right. I should head back too." I hop into the drivers seat and close the door. When I roll down the window, Callie leans forward and gives me another kiss. "If you keep kissing me I'll be late."

"Sometimes I just can't help myself." She confesses.

"I know what you mean."

"Okay, I should really get going now. I've got a surgery later."

"Make sure you eat something! Your surgeries are long and you're on your feet the whole time. You need your energy."

"Got it."

"See you at home?"

"Yep." She answers quietly. I'm not sure what happened, but in the last fifteen seconds her demeanor changed. "I'm not going to lose this one, am I?" I hear her voice tremble and it absolutely breaks my heart.

"Oh Callie, honey." I unbuckle myself from my seat and get out the car to wrap her up in a big hug. "I'll do everything in my power to make sure nothing happens to you or this baby, okay? I need you to look at me Callie." She raises her head slowly and gives me a weak smile. "I wish I could tell you that everything is going to go perfectly and smoothly, but you know I don't know that. But I do know that I'll protect you and help you through everything. Just like you did with Noah and me. I already love this baby so much and it's barely the size of a pea. We've had our share of bad stuff, it's time that good things start happening again and this baby is a very good thing. Got it?"

"Got it." She smiles back at me. "I mean it is your magic egg after all."

"Exactly." I chuckle. "So we're good?"

"We are good. I'll see you at home." She opens the door again for me and I hop in.

 **4 weeks later…**

 **Callie's POV**

This past month has been crazy, but crazy in a totally good way. Thanksgiving came and went. Sofia happily hung out with her dad and Arizona and Noah celebrated with Teddy and Henry while I worked. Ever since the baby news Arizona has been perfect. After my little freak out in the parking hospital lot, she's reassured me countless times that everything will be okay. Of course neither of us can confirm that, but hearing her tell me all the time is very comforting. I've come home after work on numerous occasions to a fully prepared warm bath. She's making the whole family eat healthy meals again, so I'm not doing it alone. The days of chicken nuggets and French fries are long gone for Sofia and Noah. After I come out of the bathroom with morning sickness she has a damp towel ready for me and along with ginger ale and crackers. As for me, I've been mostly okay. The usual morning sickness and weird food habits are starting to kick in, but this last week has taken a little turn. My usual one trip in the morning to empty my stomach has turned into multiple trips all day to the bathroom. It seems as though my morning sickness has intensified and I'm not sure why. I even heard one of the nurses on my floor chatting with another nurse about how many times I went to the bathroom during one day. Why they care, I'm not sure, but it is starting to worry me a little.

"Bailey, have you seen doctor Grey?" I ask in passing.

"Torres, I just got out of a six hour surgery, I have no clue where anyone in this hospital is right now except for my patient and doctor Grey was not my patient. So no. I don't know where she is."

"Okay…" I mumble to myself. "Hey Owen!" I jog up to the friendly trauma surgeon at the nearby nurse's station. "Have you seen Meredith?"

"Last I saw her she was in pit, but that was an hour ago. Everything alright?"

"Yeah, I just need to talk to her." I walk towards the pit and run into Kepner. "April, have you seen Meredith?"

"Um, actually I haven't—oh wait, here she comes." Kepner points behind me and I turn around to see Meredith walking towards us.

"Meredith, come with me." I yank her by the arm to the nearest elevator and pull her inside. "

"Um Callie, care to explain?" She looks at my hand on her arm and I quickly let go. "You've got a nice grip there."

"Sorry."

"Where are we going?"

"Just follow me." Once we reach our floor I pull her into a specific exam room and shut the door. "I'm pregnant."

"You're what?!" Her eyes widen at the news.

"I'm pregnant." I repeat again.

"That's great, Callie!" She says giving me a hug. "I'm mean you could've just told me in your office, but hey, congratulations!" Meredith was one of the few people at the hospital to really reach out to me after the miscarriage. One night we went through half a bottle of tequila and I spilled everything to her. She listened and was very supportive. "How far along?"

"Six weeks."

"Wow, that's seriously great, Callie. You and Arizona are great parents. You should be very happy."

"We are. We're extremely happy."

"So what are we doing in here?" She asks looking around at our surroundings.

"I need you to give me an ultrasound." I deadpan. "This last week my stomach has been going crazy and I think…I don't know exactly, but I'm having that nervous feeling again I had last time before the miscarriage."

"If you think something is seriously wrong let's just go up to OB."

"Remember you had that OB phase a few years ago? You wore the pink scrubs and everything. I need you to do this for me. I trust you, Meredith."

"Isn't doctor Caplan your doctor? We could page him."

"I already checked. He's not in today. We had to push back our next appointment because we're going out of town for Arizona's bother graduation tomorrow and I don't want to wait until next week. Please, just take a look?" I practically beg of her.

"Fine. Hop up on the table and pull up your shirt."

"Yes! Thank you, thank you!"

"I'm sure it's nothing." She comments putting on some gloves. "Just a bad case of morning sickness. I hear it can get rough." She turns on the ultrasound machine and covers my stomach with some gel. "Let's see what we got here." The loud whooshing sound echoes throughout the room as Meredith moves the wand around. "Everything looks good in here, Callie. Nothing out the ordinary." I huge wave of relief washes over me. Maybe she was right, just some bad morning sickness. "In fact, there's the amniotic sac." She says pointing to the screen.

"Oh wow, look at that." I smile seeing my kid on the screen for the first time. Now I wish Arizona was with me. "Can you make it bigger?"

"Sure." She hits a few buttons to enlarge the picture. "Hold on a minute."

"What? What is it? What's wrong?"

"Calm down, just give me a sec." She moves the wand around again and smiles.

"Grey, say something!"

"Callie, what's this?" She asks knowingly.

"That's the amniotic sac. We just established that."

"Okay, so what's that?" She looks at me again as she tries to hold back her grin.

"That's a…no way." I gasp sitting up. "That's another amniotic sac."

"Uh huh. Exactly." Grey smirks.

"So you're telling me I'm having twins!"

"Oh I'm not just telling you, I'm showing you. You've got double trouble in there, girl."

"No fucking way." Twins. I can't believe it. I mean me, out of all people, having twins? This is a lot to take in right now. Honestly that possibility didn't even cross my mind.

"That explains the excess morning sickness. Two little Torres' are in there moving around. Did you guys do artificial insemination?"

"No, we did IVF."

"Well IVF has high multiple rates. How many eggs did you implant?"

"I don't know, like two or three."

"I'm assuming then two eggs stuck. Just imagine if all three did!"

"There is no way in hell I can have triplets. Look again, make sure it's just two." Meredith laughs as she moves the wand around. "Look long and hard, Grey."

"I am. I am. You're in the clear. Just two. Congrats Callie!"

"Umm, thanks." I respond still in shock.

"So how are you going to tell, Arizona?"

"I have no clue."

"Maybe you could just wait until your appointment and just act surprised." Meredith suggests.

"No, she'll know my reaction isn't as genuine as it just was. Can you print out the ultrasound? Maybe I'll give that to her."

"Of course. Lean back and let me get a good angle again." Following her instructions, I lean back and let her do her thing. She passes me the printed out picture and I just stare at it, the two little babies in my stomach. I still can't believe it, but in my hand I'm holding the proof.

"Twins and just a few weeks from Christmas. I guess Santa came early for you two. Double the diapers. Double the food. Double the clothes. Double the—" She lists off and helps wipe the gel off my stomach.

"Yeah, I got it, Meredith." Listening to her rattle off everything is making my head big. "I'm going to have four kids. That's a lot of kids! I can't parent four kids."

"Yes you can. You'll be great! Arizona is awesome and Sof and Noah are getting older. It's not like your having four at once. Now that would be mind-blowing." Her pager goes off and she excuses herself.

"I gotta go. You okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. Thanks for everything."

"Not a problem. Congratulations again. This is really great news, Callie. Don't stress over it. Besides, you've got about seven and a half months to plan. Well, I hear twins usually come early, so maybe just seven months or so, either way you'll figure it all out." Grey leaves and I sit on the exam table looking at the ultrasound picture again. A minute or so later my phone rings and it's Arizona.

"Hello?"

"Callie, hey! I didn't think I'd get you."

"Well you've got me. What's up?"

"I just picked the kids up from school and we're at the mall. I wanted to get them new outfits for Tim's graduation."

"That's nice."

"Mhmm, but I couldn't help myself and now we're in a baby store. I just told them I'm looking for something for Teddy. But I found this cute onesie and it comes in green and lavender. What color should I get?"

"Ummm…"

"I know it seems silly just to call you about this and we already have a bunch at home, but I just looked at them and thought of you. Do you have a preference?"

"You know what? How about you get both. I have a feeling we'll need them."

"So true. Babies throw up all the time. I guess it's always better to have more. Okay, well that's it. I'll let you get back to breaking bones."

"I'll see you guys at home." I hang up and put my hand over my stomach. "I can't believe I'm having twins." And just on cue, I feel a little rumble in my stomach and head to the nearest bathroom.

 **Thanks for reading and thanks to musicforsoul for helping!**

 **AN: I know a few people wanted Arizona to be pregnant, but the majority of people really wanted Callie to try again, so she did! Also, Arizona was pregnant in the first story, so I thought it was appropriate for Callie to be pregnant in this one. Anyway, thanks for the feedback!**


	23. Chapter 23

I don't own anything…all credit goes to ABC/Shondaland

Chapter Twenty-Three

 **AN: Bad news – I've been super busy with school/finals so writing took a little back seat. Sorry! Good news – I'm officially on break so I'll have more time to write! Thanks for sticking with the story!**

Callie's POV

Twins. I still can't believe I'm growing two babies inside of me. I was very content with one, but two is just an extra blessing. When I came home that night from the hospital I wanted to tell Arizona, but for some reason I didn't. Of course I know she'll be thrilled, I just have to find a nice, quiet moment to tell her the news and show her the ultrasound. Given that we're headed to Maryland this weekend to celebrate Tim's graduation, we might not get a lot of alone time, but hopefully I'll find some time to tell her.

"Mommy, are we there yet?"

"Soon, Sof. Real Sof." Arizona answers as she drives up to her parent's house. It feels like we've been traveling all day. I thought once we arrived in Maryland and got the rental car, the kids would be tired from the long flight and sleep in the car, but I was wrong and they've been talking nonstop.

"Mama, are we there yet?" Noah asks giggling. Apparently asking the same question back and forth for thirty minutes is hilarious to them.

"Noah, we'll be there soon." I say rubbing my forehead. If anyone needs a nap, I think it's me.

"Arizona, please tell me we're really close?"

"We are." She smiles back at me. "Trust me, once my mom gets a hold of them we probably won't see them for the rest of the day."

"Is Uncle Tim going to be there, mommy?" Sof sweetly asks.

"Mhmm. He will be there along with Grandpa."

"Yayyy!" They cheer together." It's another ten minutes before we finally arrive at Arizona's home.

"Let's get them inside first, then we'll get the bags." My wife mentions as we get out of the car and unbuckle the kids. They take off for the front door and we follow right behind them.

"Can I knock?"

"No, I wanna knock?" Sofia counters. "Please mommy, can I knock?"

"You guys can both do it. Just take it easy, alright?" Sof and Noah look at each other before each banging on the door.

"They never listen." Arizona whispers to me as I try to hold back a laugh. "Oh, you think it's funny, huh?" She snickers.

"Just a little." I reply before the door opens.

"Oh wow, you're not my mother." Arizona says to the unfamiliar person at the door. A slender brunette, about my height, opens the door with a big smile on her face.

"Hi, how can I help you?"

"Mama, that's not grandma." Noah mumbles turning his body around and hugging my legs.

"Arizona, are we sure we're at the right place?"

"I think I know my own house, Calliope." She hisses back.

"Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry! You're Arizona. You're Tim's sister. He's told me so much about you. Please, come in, come in!" She says greeting us upon entrance. "You look just like him. I can't believe it didn't recognize you at first."

"Um, yeah…I'm sorry, have we met before?" My wife questions perplexed. I have to say I'm a little confused too, but I'll let her take the lead on this.

"Unfortunately we haven't. I'm Stacy." She extends her hand to both of us as Barbra comes over to us.

"The girls are here! Daniel, Tim come say hello!" My mother in law yells. "It feels like ages. Callie, how are you?"

"I'm great. It's always good to see you."

"And you brought my two favorite children." She bends down to greet Sofia and Noah as well. "I've got something sweet in the kitchen for you guys. How about you go check it out." They scurry off deeper into the home as Tim comes over to us.

"Ma, who's Stacy?" Arizona questions.

"Stacy is my girlfriend." Tim places a kiss on his girlfriends cheek before giving Arizona and I each a hug. "It's about time you guys got here. Mom wouldn't let us eat until you did."

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry." Arizona holds up a finger. "Your girlfriend? Since when?"

"Oh relax, Arizona." Mama Robbins says. "Where's Daniel?"

"I'm right here, hun. Callie, Arizona. Good to see you. Where are your bags?"

"Still in the car." I answer.

"Tim, come help me get them and bring them inside."

"Sure thing dad."

"Go wash up upstairs. I'll handle the kids. Be down soon." Barbara instructs before leaving to return to the kitchen. Arizona, Stacy and I just stand around looking at each other. My wife gives her a small smile before disappearing up the stairs.

"Did I say something wrong?" Stacy questions.

"No, nothing at all. She just doesn't like surprises." I assure her. "I'm Callie by the way."

"Of course. Tim talks about you two all the time. Your kids are Sofia and Noah, right?"

"Yep. Sorry in advance if they ruin your quiet afternoon. They are full of energy."

"Oh no, it's perfectly okay. I love kids and yours are adorable." I've known Stacy for all of five minutes, but I already like her. She gives off a really sweet vibe. Poor girl almost looked frightened when she met Arizona.

"Thank you. So how long have you and Tim been together?"

"Oh about—"

"Callie, upstairs now please." Arizona calls from the top of the stairs with a very direct and firm tone. I flash Stacy and sympathetic smile and head up to my wife.

"Did you know about this?" Arizona asks when we enter her room. "Cause I definitely didn't know about this. How could he not tell me? I mean a simple text will do? She already met the parents so it must be serious. How come my mother didn't tell me? She can hardly keep her mouth shut." I sit on the bed and watch my wife basically talk to herself as she paces back and forth. "And what kind of name is Stacy anyway?" She scoffs.

"You do realize your name is Arizona, right?"

"Not helping, Calliope." She snaps.

"Well I like her. She seems nice enough. Most importantly your brother likes her. She must be very special to him if she's here now and I'm assuming she's coming to the graduation tomorrow. Not to mention she's pretty. Your brother has good taste."

"Oh don't be impressed by her. We hardly know her."

"Babe, don't you think you're overreacting just a little?"

"Everyone knows I hate surprises. This is a surprise."

"Okay, can we stop with the pacing please?" I ask grabbing her hand and pulling her down to sit beside me. "How about you get to know her first before you go all crazy on her."

"Maybe you're right. I've got my questions all lined up. One wrong answer and she's done."

"I don't remember Tim being this harsh on me?"

"That's because I have good judgment. He doesn't."

"Can we take a break from Stacy for a second? I want to tell you something."

"Sure, what is it?" She looks at me lovingly and for some reason I'm nervous to tell her. I shouldn't be nervous to tell my own wife, I know she'll be excited, but right now I have a bad case of the nerves. "Callie, baby, what's wrong?" She asks again when I don't say anything.

"Fair warning, it may come as a surprise."

"Oh, I can't another one of those right now!" She shoots up from the bed and begins pacing again. "Can it wait? Later tonight maybe?"

"Sure, that's fine."

"Stacy has small boobs."

"Uh, excuse me?" I cock my head to the side really hoping that my wife will explain herself.

"Tim has always been a boob girl. Stacy has small boobs. She's not even his type."

"Should I be concerned that you were looking at another women's breasts so intently?"

"No, I just noticed." She shrugs off. "Obviously not every women can be a Calliope, cause you're one of a kind babe. I'm just pointing it out."

"I hate to break the news to you, but there are more than just physical features that attracts a person to someone."

"I'm not dumb, Calliope. I'm just saying. Whatever, I'm hungry. Let's go eat."

"I'll be down in a sec. I just need to use the bathroom." Arizona leaves while I head into the bathroom to relieve myself. As I'm washing my hands I hear a few rumblings outside the door and soon check it out.

"Oh, I didn't know anyone was in here. I was just dropping off the bags. My dad puts the kids bags in my old room." Tim states. "All set?"

"Yeah, thanks. So Tim, Stacy…."

"I know I should've told Arizona earlier, but when I was going to I remembered that you guys were coming so I thought it would be better to do it in person." Tim explains. "The meeting didn't go exactly as planned, but I promise you guys will love her."

"Your sister hates surprises."

"She'll be okay."

"If you say so. I for one like her already."

"Thanks, she's pretty special." Tim gushes. "I like her a lot."

"That's good. That's all the matters."

"Ready to eat?"

"I'm starving!" Once we get downstairs to the dining room, Arizona is helping her mom put the finishing touches on the table. Stacy is setting up the food, and Noah and Sof are already seated.

"Good, everyone's here. Sit down, sit down. I've been cooking all day. I need some new taste testers." Barbra chuckles. With Sofia on my left, I sit next to Arizona who has Noah on the other side of her. Across from us are Stacy and Tim with Barbra and Daniel sitting on the ends.

"So Stacy, what do you do?" Arizona dives right in with the questioning as we help load food onto our kids plates.

"I'm actually graduating tomorrow as well. I went to law school."

"She wants to be an environmental lawyer. Save the trees and stuff." Tim jokes. "It's cute."

"Huh." My wife dryly responds. "Is that how you two met? At school?"

"Actually we met at a bar." Stacy starts. "He just came over and got me a drink."

"How forward of you, Timothy." Barbra grins. "Anyone want some wine?" Everyone accepts the offer except for me for obvious reasons.

"Just have a glass, Callie. It's delicious." Barbra encourages.

"Sure, why not?" I let her fill my glass as Arizona gives me an understanding look.

"Once I finish mine I'll drink yours." My wife whispers to me. "So Stacy, where are you from?"

"Relax sis, it's not twenty questions."

"I'm just trying to get to know the girl since no one told me about her beforehand."

"I don't mind." Stacy beams. "I'm originally from San Francisco."

"Oh I love San Francisco." I interject, much to my wife's dismay. "It's a pretty city."

"So you plan on moving back after graduation, or…."

"Arizona, have some manners please." Daniel states.

"Considering we just moved in together a few weeks ago, she's staying put." Tim answers directly. "Anything else?"

"You two live together?" My wife asks darting stares between both of them.

"That's what uncle Tim just said, mommy." Sofia pipes up. "You and mama live together."

"That's cause we're married, Sof."

"As I recall you guys lived together before that too." Tim points out. "You do realize I'm an adult right, sis?"

"Wanna cool down a little?" I mutter to my wife. She doesn't answer, but does take another long sip of her wine.

"Callie, how's work?" Barbra asks thankfully changing the topic. "I tell all my girlfriends in my book club how you're a big shot surgeon."

"Oh I'm not so sure about that, but work is good. I'm in the lab more and more, so hopefully I can come up with some useful for the future of medicine."

"Just keep working at it. You're a smart woman. Sof and Noah we're telling me all about school. Apparently Sofia can count really high."

"Its true, grandma! I can do a little math too." Sofia proudly states.

"How about you, grandson. Are you liking school?" Daniel asks Noah. "You making any friends?"

"Uh huh." Noah nods up and down. "I like school cause we get to play all the time."

"Arizona don't tell me you and Callie are wasting a bunch of money on private schools just for the boy to play."

"It's how they learn, dad. They incorporate the learning into the games."

"It's all different nowadays, Daniel. It's not like what is used to be." Barbra informs him. "Just the other day I saw some kid right around Sofia's age drawing on one of those iPad things. I wish we had those when I was younger."

"I have an iPad grandma!"

"Me too!" Noah claims.

"All that technology isn't good at such a young age, Arizona." Daniel light scolds.

"We monitor everything and they aren't allowed on them for a long time." Arizona answers as she takes my wine glass and place it in front of her.

"So Tim, how's—" I start before getting cut off by my wife.

"So Stacy what do you parents do?"

"Really sis?"

"It's just a simple question, Tim. Let the girl answer."

"Her dad is a real estate agent and her mom is a lawyer." Tim answers for Stacy. "She has no siblings, went to UCLA for undergrad, and had a dog named Mr. Whiskers who died when she was twelve. Enough with the questions already." Tim answers agitated. "I didn't do this to Callie."

"That's cause you didn't have to. I willingly told you everything about her, but you decided to tell me nothing. Not a damn thing." My wife spits out aggressively. "So excuse me if I just want to know a little information about the girl you're shacking up with."

"Arizona Robbins, that is not how you talk in this house. Especially not to your brother and in front of your family." Daniel says commanding all the intention in the room. "Tomorrow your brother is graduating, and that is a huge accomplishment. That's all the matters right now. If you can't respect that or his guest, then I suggest you leave." There's a deafening silence in the room before Arizona speaks up.

"I'm sorry."

"I didn't hear you."

"I said I'm sorry, sir." She says enunciating her voice.

"Good, now can we get back to this meal that your mother prepared?"

"You know this chicken is amazing, Barbra." I say hoping to break the tension. "You have to tell me how to make it."

"It's a new recipe! I picked it up from one of the magazines in the store. I'll send it over to you."

"That'd be great." I give Arizona a comforting rub on her thigh as she turns to give me a little smile. She's only acting this way because she felt left out. I know how close she is to her brother and him keeping something important away from her is upsetting.

"I finished all my food. Can I have another brownie now?" Noah pleads. "I ate all my veggies."

"That's good. You'll become big and strong like me." Tim flexes his muscle as Noah tries to imitate him, much to the delight of the whole table. "I'll help you get some more dessert. I think I saw some ice cream in there too. Gotta ask your moms first though, buddy?"

"Please mommy?"

"That's fine." Arizona places a kiss on Noah's head before he gets up from the table. "Remember to say thank you."

"I promise!"

"You too Sof." Tim says. Sofia hurries out of her seat to join her uncle and brother. "Stacy?"

"Yeah, I'm coming." Stacy excuses herself as well. Leaving my in laws, my wife, and me alone.

"You've hardly touched your food, Arizona. Eat up."

"Thanks mom."

"Here, have another glass of wine. I think you might need it." Barbra laughs as she refills her glass."

"If you don't mind, I'm going to excuse myself to the den." The older Robbin informs us. "The game is on and I'd like to watch it while I eat. Thanks for the food, dear. It's delicious like always."

"Dad, I didn't mean to ruin your meal." Arizona guiltily responds. "Please stay."

"I'm okay, Arizona. But I do think you owe your brother and Stacy an apology before you leave."

"Stacy is a lovely young lady, Arizona. I thought you would at least be welcoming. Everyone was welcoming when you introduced Callie to us."

"I got it, mom. I messed up." My wife continues to push the food on her plate around. "I'll take care of it."

"You know what I think."

"No, but I have a feeling you're about to tell me." Arizona mumbles, which earns her a glare from Barbra. "Sorry."

"I think you're intimated."

"Seriously mother?" She scoffs in disbelief. "Why would I be intimated by her?"

"Because she already has a large presence in your brother's life and you don't like that. You've always thought you were the most important women in Tim's life."

"That's not true."

"It is true, Arizona. Anytime a women comes into your brothers life you get defensive."

"None of the girls are right for him." She quickly counters.

"Callie, do you think Arizona's intimated?" Suddenly to pairs of blue eyes are turned on me and I'm caught between my wife and my mother in law. "Be honest."

"Uh, I'm not sure intimidated is the word, but maybe a little jealous…"

"Same difference! See, even your wife agrees with me." Barbra jokes, which Arizona doesn't take too kindly.

"Really, Calliope? Jealous?"

"Well…I think a little, yeah." I offer in my difference. "I think it's normal."

"Huh…interesting." Arizona stands up from the table. "I think I need some air. I'll be back."

"Oh honey, relax. There's no need to run off. Besides, it's cold out." Barbra states.

"I've got a sweater on. Callie, I'll be back later. I'm taking the car." She says fishing the keys out of her pocket.

"Arizona, don't leave."

"I just need some time, Callie. I'll see you later tonight." My wife leaves the dining room and disappears out of the house. I have no clue where she's going, but if she needs some time to herself then that's okay.

"My daughter can be so dramatic sometimes."

"I think she's just a little hurt."

"Maybe so, but there's a way to handle yourself. The last serious girlfriend Tim had was in high school. Well over ten years ago. Arizona got so jealous of all the time they would spend together. She felt like she was being replaced. Ultimately, Tim broke up with the girl because Arizona made their relationship difficult. Tim picked Arizona and he always will, but that's not fair to him. I thought things changed, but I guess not."

"Once she cools off I think she'll be fine."

"I hope so. Anyway, I've got room for dessert. You want some?"

"Yes please! Can't let the kids eat all the sweet stuff." The rest of the evening is relaxed. After dessert we all played a wild game of Monopoly that lasted almost two hours before Tim and Stacy headed back to their place. I got the kids ready for bed and they asked for their grandmother to come in and read them bedtime stories. Soon after Barbra and Daniel turned in for bed. I watched a little television before heading up to the room. Just as I was dozing off after reading a medical journal, Arizona comes into the room.

"Hey."

"Hi." She answers coming over to the bed and flopping down on it. "I left my phone here."

"I figured that after the fourth time I tried calling you."

"Sorry." She turns on her side to face me and plucks the magazine out my hand. "How was the rest of the night?"

"It was good, but I'm way more curious about what you've been up to for the last couple of hours." Mimicking her action, I turn on my side and face her. "Where did you go?"

"I actually didn't have any idea where I was going, I just needed to get out of the house. I drove around a little bit before landing at a sports bar, which is odd because we both know I'm not a sports person."

"I'm already intrigued…continue."

"So there I was sitting at the bar and drinking ginger ale?"

"Ginger ale? Really babe?" I start laughing.

"Well I wanted something fizzy." She says poking me. "I was going to leave cause I was completely bored, but I ran into one of my high school teachers Mr. Reynolds. I didn't really feel like talking, but I couldn't say no to the old man so he ordered me a beer and we caught up a little."

"You hate beer."

"I know! But I couldn't deny it. He's such a sweet old man and his wife died five years ago, so the least I could do was drink a beer with him. Anyway, we talked for thirty minutes and then I left. I wasn't ready to come home yet, so I went to see a movie. I ate a whole popcorn by myself and then I came home."

"That explains why you smell like butter."

"Exactly."

"I don't want to get between you and your brother, but your questions were a little out of line."

"I don't think asking about her life is out of line, Calliope."

"Maybe not, but the way you asked them were filled with sass and attitude."

"That I'll admit to. I just…I was hurt Callie. He didn't tell me about her. We tell each other everything."

"I'm sure he has his reasons."

"That's not good enough. He should've told me. I don't want Stacy to come between us."

"I doubt that's going to happen."

"It already has!" She gets up from the bed and grabs some stuff from our luggage. "I don't want to talk about it anymore. I'm tired. I'm going to change." I wait for her to finish her nightly routine before going to sleep. She comes back into the room and turns off all the lights and joins me in bed.

"I just think—"

"Callie you don't get it. You and Aria aren't close." She snaps. "Just leave it alone. Please."

"Fine, Arizona." I pull the covers up and turn away from her. "Goodnight."

"Callie, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to get upset with you." She quietly whispers. "Please turn around."

"Let's just go to sleep. I'm tired, you're tired, and we have a big day tomorrow."

"Okay." A few seconds go by before she speaks up again. "You said earlier you wanted to tell me something. What was it?"

"It can wait."

"You sure?"

"Yeah."

The next morning was hectic. Noah and Sofia were both cranky for having to get up early. With their bodies still on Seattle's time zone, they weren't happy having to adjust so early to the east coast time. As usual, Barbra made a big breakfast for us. Tim had to be at his school early to prepare, so we won't get a chance to see him until after the ceremony. After breakfast, everyone got dressed. I took my shower first while Arizona helped the kids and then we switched so she get could ready.

"The kids are all set. They're downstairs hanging with your dad. You almost ready?" Coming into the bedroom again I see my wife struggling to zip up the back navy blue dress so I get behind her and give hand. "You look nice."

"Thanks, so do you." She turns around and gives me kiss on my cheek. "I feel like I should apologize again for talking to you the way I did last night. You didn't deserve it."

"It's okay I get it. Besides you're right. Aria and I aren't that close, we don't have and probably will never have what you and Tim have as siblings."

"You and Aria have made so much progress since she came back around."

"I know, but it's still not where it used to be and that's okay. We're in a good place and that's most important."

"We still have a couple of minutes, wanna tell me what's been on your mind?"

"Oh, um, it's okay." I sputter out. "We can talk later."

"Come on." Arizona takes a seat on the edge of the bed and pats some free space for me to join here. "I feel like we haven't checked in with each other since we left Seattle. Whatever you have to say I'm all ears." She grins. "Lay it on me."

I grab the envelope that I've been carrying with me in my purse ever since I left the hospital and join my wife. "So as you know my morning sickness has been a little rough lately."

"I know and I'm sure it'll pass. Our kid is busy setting up show in there and is making you feel extra queasy."

"Well one day I was feel a little too queasy and got nervous, so I had Meredith give me an ultrasound at the hospital just to make sure everything is okay."

"Callie, what are you saying?" Arizona asks worriedly. "Why didn't you tell me? Is something wrong?"

"No, no. Everything is fine. If something was wrong I would of course told you. I just needed to calm my own nerves so I asked her to take a look." I pass her the envelope and she gingerly opens it, pulling out the fuzzy photo. "It's a picture of the ultrasound."

"Yeah, I gathered that, but it doesn't look like much of anything on here. I'm just seeing a little sac. I'm sure we can get a better picture at our next appointment. Is this what you wanted to tell me, that you already got an ultrasound? Because normally I would be a little upset that didn't do it together, but I can't really see much on this picture so I don't think I missed out on too much." She chuckles. Clearly my wife isn't getting what I'm trying to point out to her, so I have to take matters into my own hands.

I take a big breath and take the photo from her hand. "Okay, so this is my amniotic sac." I point it out for her on the picture.

"Okay…"

"And this smudgy blob looking thing is our kid."

"Ooohhh, I kind of see it now." She says turning her head and squinting.

"Good…and next to that is another, slightly smaller sac with a similar smudgy blob looking thing." I watch her face as she starts to process what I'm telling her. She takes the picture again and inspects it closely before turning to me. "We're having twins, Arizona." I bite my lower lip between my teeth nervously as I wait for her to say something. "Arizona, I said we're hav—"

"I heard you. I'm just…processing." She quietly informs me. "Twins? So that's like two kids."

"Mhmm…two boys, two girls, maybe a nice little combo." I nervously chuckle. A knock on our bedroom door startles me; Arizona seems to be still in her little daze.

"Girls, it's time to go." Barbra informs us.

"One minute, mom."

"We need to leave now or we're going to be late. We've got to find a parking space and seats."

"Mom! Please, just a minute!"

"Okay, okay…I hope this attitude of yours goes away soon, Arizona." Barbra quips as she closes the door.

"Babe, I'm really going to need for you to say something. I get it, I was in total shock too, but I need more words from you." I practically plead.

"I love you, Calliope." She brings her lips to mine and gives me a lingering, breathless kiss. "I really wish I could show you just how much I love you right now, but we have a graduation to go to."

"So you're okay with this?" I ask hesitantly.

"Okay with it? I'm over the moon thrilled! We're having twins, babe! We got two for the price of one! This is amazing! I'm going to have to read up like a mad women because I have no clue how to handle twins, but we'll figure it out."

"Jesus Christ, Arizona. You scared the crap out of me when you barely said anything." I playfully push her on the arm. "You just had this blank stare on your face."

"Oh babe, I didn't mean to make you scared." She says kissing me again. "But once I heard twins dollar signs popped into my mind, along with a lot of other stuff we'll get to. I was just really set on one kid, ya know? That's all we've been talking about and planning for, but two is way better. I didn't think it was possible to love you even more, but I swear I do. Twins, Calliope! You're carrying our twins inside of you! The extra morning sickness all makes sense now." I see he mind beginning to work in overdrive. "We have so much to plan. I need to make a list."

"Okay, calm down hot stuff. We have some time. Let's worry about it later."

"You're right…okay." She takes a deep breath and composes herself. "We're seriously having twins?"

"We seriously are, babe."

"Wow."

"GIRLS!" Barbra yells. We both jump up and head out of the room.

 **Thanks for reading and thanks to musicforsoul for always helping! More Arizona twin reaction next chapter and her talk with Tim. This chapter was getting a little long so I split it up.**


	24. Chapter 24

I don't own anything…all credit goes to ABC/Shondaland

Chapter Twenty-Four

Arizona's POV

"Callie?"

"In the bathroom, babe!" She calls out. "Can you pass me my red shirt, please? I think I left it on the bed." I grab my wife's red shirt and head into the bathroom where she's getting ready. "Yes, thank you!" She says accepting the garment and slipping it on.

"You look good, Calliope." Looking at my wife's appearance in the mirror, I can't help but notice how stunning she looks.

"Yeah?"

"Most definitely, yeah." I grab her by the hips and spin her around to face me. Ever since she told me that we're having twins a few hours ago my wife has been looking more and more desirable with each passing minute. I'll even admit to having a few dirty thoughts during my brother's very long graduation ceremony. There's just something very appealing and attractive knowing that she's carrying not just one, but two of our children.

"You're doing that staring thing again, Arizona."

"You're right, but this time I'm not going to apologize for staring at my extremely sexy wife." I smile before pressing my lips to hers. Callie willingly responds and opens her mouth just enough for me to slip my tongue inside. Her arms come up and circle my neck as I push her back against the counter. I move my hands under her shirt and run them up and down over her smooth skin. "I want you so bad, Calliope." I husk into her ear.

"I want you so bad too…" One of my hands continues to trail up and cups her right breast over her bra. "God, so, so bad, but…"I can tell she has an internal struggle going on, but hopefully she'll ignore it.

"But what?" I seductively ask I as slip a thigh between her legs and watch as she closes her eyes in pleasure and clench her lower lip between her teeth. "But what, Calliope." I ask again, knowing she's having trouble concentrating. Applying more pressure and friction to her core, her breathing starts to become unsteady as she grinds down on me.

"We…we can't cause of the party…and-and your, uh…parents."

"The party isn't for another hour or so…" Pulling my hands away from her quickly, I pull off my own shirt and nudge her arms up and pull off the shirt she just put on. "Dad is out with the kids picking up a Christmas tree and mom is busy in the kitchen. Right now it's just you and me." Considering this bathroom is much smaller than ours at home, all I have to do is lean over a little to the door and make sure it's locked.

"Just me and you." She echoes. It looks like I won that little internal struggle she was having because the next thing I know her lips are on mine again and she's unhooking my bra and tossing it aside. I quickly do the same to hers and we both moan at the skin-to-skin contact when we bring our chests together. "I need you right now, Ari." Ari, I love when she calls me that, it sends chills down my spine and spurs me on. I manage to get her pants unbuttoned and unzipped and my hand is met with arousal as soon as I cup her center.

"You feel so good, baby." Locking eyes with her, I watch her face change and relax as I continue to run my hand over her.

"Make me feel better." She sexily demands and widens her stance for me to take her. If there's one thing I'm really _, really_ good at, it's making my wife feel extremely good.

About twenty minutes later I head downstairs to check on how everything is coming along for Tim's graduation party. Callie insisted on staying upstairs just a little longer because she needed to get ready…again. Things certainly got carried away upstairs, but neither of us were complaining. In fact, we did the exact opposite of complain. Seven weeks in and I already love this new pregnant Calliope. I'm sure it won't be all sunshine and rainbows, but for now I'll take what I can get. Just thinking about it again makes me hungry for more. _The way she kissed me and held me close to her body…the satisfactory moan she let out when slipped my fingers inside her…the dirty, way too explicit things she whispered in my ear…her hands on my breast and tongue on my nipple…the way we looked at each other as both had fingers deep inside each other…watching her suck her fingers after pulling out of me…her voice begging me for more…_

"Earth to Arizona!" My mothers voice brings me back to reality. "What is going on with you today? The attitude you had earlier and now you're not even listening to me when I'm talking to you."

"I'm sorry, mom."

"Is everything alright with you? If you're still upset about with your brother, you're just going to have to get over that sweetheart."

"Trust me, mom. That wasn't what I was thinking about."

"Then what was it?"

"What?"

"What were you thinking about because you look like you were lost in thought?" I was deeply lost in thought, but there's no way in hell I'm telling my mom what was on my mind. I feel a little guilty about having sex with my wife right upstairs, but then I remembered how great it was and how great Callie and I are together, and that guilt instantly vanishes. I mean I'd practically have sex with her anywhere, but it does seem like bathrooms and cramped places seem to be our thing lately. I set a mental reminder to actually have sex with my wife again in a bed.

"It was nothing. What were you saying earlier?"

"I was just asking where Callie was. She said she was going to help me cook before all of the guests get here."

"She'll be down in a second. Anything I can help with?"

"Actually yes, but not in the kitchen. Tim just got here a few minutes ago. I sent him to the basement to pull out some of the Christmas decorations before the guests arrive and your dad comes back with the tree. Go help him out, will you?" It's more of an order than a question, so I give her a smile and head downstairs. "And be nice!" She yells after me.

"Need a hand?" I ask Tim after I see him struggling with a few of the bigger boxes on the top shelves.

"About time I got some help. Get over here." We get the big boxes down before taking a little break. "Thanks."

"Sure, no problem." We stand in an awkward silence and I can tell he's waiting for me to say something. It's never been awkward between us and I feel like this is mostly my fault. "Hey, so I know I said it a bunch earlier after the ceremony, but I'm really proud of you for graduating. It's a big deal and not an easy feat at all."

"Thank you, Arizona. It means a lot. I'm glad you and Callie were here and Sof and Noah."

"We wouldn't miss it. I'm also sorry about yesterday. Stacy seems…" I pause trying to figure out the right word to use with her, but Tim takes my silence the wrong way.

"I really like her, Arizona. I never thought I'd say it, but I'm in love. Why don't you get that?" He spits out aggressively. Clearly that isn't going to be as easy as I thought. "She's the one. I'm going to ask her to marry me."

"What!" I exclaim. "Whoa, whoa, Tim, relax a little. There's no need to move so fast. You just moved in together."

"I'm not saying I'm proposing tomorrow, it'll be a few months, but I know it. She's the one and I really want you to like her and get along with her. Besides you and Callie move at the speed of lightening so you're not one to talk."

"Excuse me?" I cross my arms defensively across my chest. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"You know exactly what it means. You're barely in Seattle for a month before you guys start dating and soon after you're girlfriends. You just dove right in. Next thing I know mom is telling me over the phone that you're practically playing house and mommy within like three or four months."

"You have no idea what you're talking about, Tim. I wasn't 'playing' anything. Callie and I were in a relationship and were doing what was best for us. Mark walked out on her and I stepped up. She didn't ask for it, but I insisted on it. It wasn't a game to me."

"All I'm saying is that Stacy and I have been dating a while and we just moved in together. I know what I'm doing, I've thought it through."

"Are you trying to imply that I didn't think it through?" He shrugs his shoulder, which isn't the answer I'm looking for. "You seem like you have something to say. So say it."

"Arizona…"

"No, just get whatever you need to get off your chest."

"Look, it's not fair that you try and judge my relationship when yours came with a hell of a lot more baggage than mine."

"Don't you dare call my daughter baggage, Tim." I state sternly. "She couldn't help the situation she was born into."

"I'm not calling Sofia baggage, I'm just saying the situation you got into was heavy. Regardless of what I thought, I supported you. I picked out rings with you. The times I've seen Mark I always thought he was a cool guy. I've accepted Callie and Sofia into this family and I love them. I'm not asking you and Stacy to be best friends, but just be nice. She's already threatened by you cause you are my sister. I want you get to know her and not attack her."

"If she's as important as you say she is then I'll try harder and I'll apologize for yesterday." I genuinely answer. "Is she coming over?"

"After she goes to dinner with her folks. They are only in town for a few more hours."

"Okay, well I promise to apologize and I'll try talking to her again."

"Thank you. That's all I'm asking."

"She's not pregnant, is she? That's not why you're talking about marriage so soon?"

"No, Arizona." He laughs. "I actually plan on doing things in order. Date, propose, get married, get a house, have a kid…unlike you." He teases.

"Hey, joke all you want, but my life is perfect. I wouldn't change a thing."

"And I'm so happy for you, and I just you to be happy for me. As much as I love Stacy, you'll always be my sister."

"Don't get all sappy on me, Tim."

"Yeah, yeah. When I call and tell you I'm ready to go ring shopping just be ready."

"I promise." I give him a hug and we continue to get some more decorations down.

"Hey, your dad and the kids just got back with the tree. He needs some help getting it inside, Tim." Callie informs us coming down the stairs.

"Cool, I'm on it. Start bringing up some boxes." He says passing Callie and going upstairs.

"He looked happy. I'm taking that as a good sign." My wife says looking through the decorations. "You guys made up?"

"Yeah, I think so. I still have to talk to Stacy, but we're good. I didn't realize he was in love with her. He's already thinking marriage."

"Wow, that's big. Good for him."

"Yeah. You know you got me all riled up earlier." I step closer to her and playfully take a peek down her shirt. "Wanna go again?"

"Mhmm, don't tempt me." She places a searing kiss on my lips and when she pulls back I pull her in again for another kiss. "I just came down to get your brother, your mom has me cooking a bunch of food with her."

"I swear that woman is always cooking. She should've been a chef or something."

"Here, let me help you with the boxes." Callie offers lifting a heavy box.

"Hey, hey, hey. Put that down!" I quickly snatch the box from her hands and place it down, ignoring her disappointed face. "Don't give me that look, Calliope. No heavy lifting until those babies arrive."

"That's a little ridiculous, babe. I'm only seven weeks. I can lift a box."

"I know that you can, but I don't want you to. At least not when I'm around. After we found out you were pregnant and we talked in the parking lot, I was serious about everything. I said I was going to protect you and our baby as much as I humanly can and now that I know you have twins growing inside of you I'm taking that promise even more serious. I know carrying a box up ten steps right now won't hurt you, but I would feel much better if I did it for you, okay?"

"Okay." She nods understandingly and doesn't push the subject. "Thank you."

"For what?"

"For being you." My wife smiles showing off her pearly whites. "I'm back to cooking with your mom. Come up soon, yeah?"

"Yeah, I'm right behind you." I finish gathering the Christmas decorations before I start hauling boxes upstairs. My dad, Tim, Sofia, and I helped dress the three with ornaments and lights while Noah, Callie and my mother continue to make the house smell good with all of the cooking and baking taking place. After about an hour some of Tim's friends began to show up at the house along with some of my mother's friends from book club and the other groups she belongs too. My dad invited a few of his friends he hangs out with. All in all we had about thirty people stuffed into our home. There was plenty of food to go around, and the entire party seemed like a lively, fun event.

"Mommy, look at me!" Sofia announces coming into the room on the back of my brother. "Uncle Tim is giving me a piggy back ride!"

"Tim, please be careful." I lightly warn my brother. "The ceilings aren't that high and she could bump her head."

"Good thing Callie is a doctor then, huh?" He snickers back with a smile. "Kidding Arizona. I got her. Of course I'll never let anything happen to my favorite niece."

"You having fun, Sof?" I ask my jubilant daughter, who has a tight hold around her uncle's neck.

"Uh-huh! I got to meet all of Uncle Tim's friends and they are super nice."

"This kid of yours has a charming personality." Tim comments. "Alright Sof, where to next?"

"Food table! I want another cookie, please!"

"Coming right up!" Tim says leading the new dynamic duo out of the room. Out of the corner of my eye I notice Callie with a curled up Noah in her lap sitting in the corner, so I decide to head over to them and check it out.

"Everything alright?" I question Callie who quickly gives me a disapproving headshake. "What's wrong?" The concern in my voice is now evident and I squat down next to my wife's seat and become eye level with our son. "Noah, what's wrong buddy?"

"I don't feel good, mommy." He mumbles against Callie's chest. "My tummy hurts and I'm sleepy." I look up to Callie to see if she can explain anything.

"I think the day just really got to him. Waking up earlier than normal, the long graduation ceremony, the tree shopping, and all the guests in the house. Not to mention he kept sampling everything your mother and I were cooking." Callie explains to me while rocking our soon calmly back and forth. "I think I'm going to take him up soon and sit with him. I think he's more tired than anything."

"Should we give him something for his stomach?"

"I did about twenty minutes ago. I want to see how he reacts to that before I give him anything else." Acknowledging my wife's words, I run a comforting hand over Noah's back, but he continues to just snuggle his little body into my wife's midsection.

"Let me take him up and get settled in bed."

"You don't have to, I was about to go up myself."

"No, I got it. You've already been sitting here for a while with him. I don't mind."

"Alright." Callie and I make a smooth transfer of Noah to my arms and I hoist him up. "I'll come up in a few."

"You wanna nice bubble bath, Noah?" I whisper in his ear as we pass by partygoers and head upstairs.

"Too tired, mommy. I wanna sleep." Leaning his head on my shoulder, I see his eyelids getting heavy as he tries to keep his eyes open. It's probably whatever medication Callie gave him kicking in.

"Well let's get you into your pj's then." Once we make it up to the kid's room, I lay Noah on the bed as I dig into this bag for his nightwear. As soon as I find it I switch him out of his day clothes and carry him into the bathroom just to quickly wash his face before he lies down.

"Stay with me, mommy." Noah pleads as I tuck him into bed.

"I'm not going anyway, buddy." I place a kiss on his forehead for good measure. "I'm right here." Calming his worries, I get in bed right beside him and he curls into my side just like he was with Callie a few minutes ago. Only a few minutes go by before he's sound asleep, but I decide to stay with him for a few extra minutes. In the meantime my mind begins to wonder. The first thing that pops up is my brother crossing the stage earlier and getting his diploma. Just thinking about it again makes me smile with joy. I know Tim's worked extremely hard and I couldn't be prouder of him. Our conversation from the basement really got me thinking. If I'm being completely honest with myself I was a total bitch to Stacy yesterday. I didn't mean to come off so aggressive, but evidently I did and I seriously need to apologize for my actions. That's not the Arizona I want her to know. I breakout into another smile thinking about Callie and our twins. I don't think the twin thing will really set in until they show up in seven or so months, but either way I ecstatic and also a little worried. One baby is a lot of work, but two at once is even harder, not to mention the two wonderful kids we have now. I know we are going to have our hands full balancing all of it. I'm ready for the challenge, but also a little freaked out. One thing I do know is that two babies are going to need a lot of things. More bottles, diapers, clothes, toys, you name it. So I pull out my phone and begin to make a list of everything. The door opening interrupts my quiet setting.

"Oh shoot, I'm sorry!" Stacy hushes as so sees me in bed with Noah. "I thought this was the upstairs bathroom. The one downstairs was occupied so I just came up here. I'm so sorry."

"It's okay…I actually need to talk to you. Hold on a sec." I carefully remove myself from Noah's side and pull the covers over him. "Follow me." I instruct my brother's girlfriend. She walks behind me as I lead us into my room and close the door. I notice Stacy looks almost frightened to be stuck in the room with me and I hate myself for making her feel that way.

"Stacy, I'm really, really sorry about yesterday. I hate surprises and seeing you with my brother was just a huge surprise. Regardless, the way I acted was so unlike me. I know it might be hard for you to believe, but I swear I'm a nice person." I try to add some levity to the conversation. "I'm just very protective of my brother. He's been through so much and I just want the best for him and for him to be happy. Tim told me how happy you make him and that's all I can ask. You're a sweet person and clearly very smart. It's not my place to get into your relationship and I'm sorry again if I came off rude and aggressive. That's really not my style."

"Thank you." Stacy looks relieved as she lets out a huge sigh. "I can honestly say I love your brother and we both make each other happy. Tim has told me so much about you and I know he respects you so much. I was already nervous to meet you because you two are close. I actually wanted to meet you earlier, but Tim wanted to wait so I respected that. I just want to make a good impression on you."

"You already have. I don't know what got into me yesterday. I'm just very protective of the things I love."

"I completely understand and admire that."

"So are we good?"

"We're good." After sharing a hug, I think we both feel satisfied with our conversation. "Do you mind if I use your bathroom."

"No, no, of course not. Please go ahead." Stacy goes into the bathroom just as Callie comes in the room.

"Hey you, I've been looking for you. I just checked in Noah and he's knocked out."

"Yeah, he went down real easy."

"It's funny. We've got one kid upstairs sleeping and the other is downstairs being the life of the party." We both hear the toilet flush and Callie gives me a questioning look. "Is someone in the bathroom?"

"Yeah, Stacy."

"Stacy?"

"Mhmm. We talked. It's all good." Callie throws me an approving smile before lying down on the bed.

"Oh, hey Callie." Stacy comes out of the bathroom and give my wife a small wave.

"Hey Stacy, congratulations on graduating."

"Thank you! And thanks for letting me use your bathroom."

"Sure." Callie replies as Stacy leaves the room. "Well she certainly looks less scared by your presence." My wife says letting out a low laugh. "You must've worked your Arizona charm that I love so much."

"I told you I apologized. Now scoot." Moving her body back, I join my wife on the bed and we both sit on our sides facing each other. "You know what I was thinking about earlier?"

"Hmmm?"

"We haven't had sex in a bed in a while."

"Not true."

"Just think about it. Think about all the times we've recently had sex and where that's been." Her face scrunches up in thought and I can practically see her mentally going through everything. "See, I told ya."

"You're right. The last time was weeks ago when we were in New York. That's actually kind of funny. Maybe beds are over rated. I kind of like the spontaneity of having sex in other places. Feels more risqué." She coyly grins squinting her eyes. "I'm always nervous about the kids just walking into the bedroom. They at least know better than to barge into bathrooms when the door is closed."

"True, but a comfy bed always gets the job done. Besides, it gives me more space to try new things and different positions." I seductively respond. "And I love trying new things with you."

"Mhm, and I love it when you do." She growls leaning forward and giving me a kiss. "If only we were at home in our bed now."

"Soon enough, babe."

"Is it bad that I feel guilty about earlier? We shouldn't have done it in your parents home."

"We have once before."

"I know and I felt guilty about it then."

"Relax, they will never know. Sometimes I just can't keep my hands off you."

"Yeah well, just wait a few months when I have a huge belly." She brushes off. "Might as well take a picture of this body now cause it won't look like this again."

"You're going to look beautiful, Calliope." Bringing a hand up to her face, I caress her cheek and move in closer to her. "You'll always be stunning to me and that'll never change."

"You're too sweet, you know that?"

"Maybe." I humorously shrug. "You know I started making a list of baby things we'll need. Guess what the biggest thing we need is?"

"Two cribs?" She guesses.

"No. Two rooms. We have one guest room and my office. They're going to need their own rooms."

"Well not a first. The first couple of weeks they can sleep in bassinets in our room. Then we can move them to cribs in the guest room. We can redecorate the guest room into a baby room. When they get a little older then we can give them separate rooms."

"I still think we should start converting my office."

"But that's your private space, babe. I don't want to take that away from you."

"I don't mind giving it up. I can move my desk in the living room or something. Or maybe the library."

"Library may be a good fit. We hardly use the room anyway."

"Exactly. We also still need to get you a new car. My car has plenty of space, but your car won't fit three car seats and Sof's booster."

"Fine." She says rolling her eyes. "I'll start looking."

"Calliope…"

"I will I promise. I just don't want to give up my Range Rover yet."

"We'll find you another car that you'll love just as much. We also need one of those double strollers."

"I used to hate those things because they always take up so much space, but I guess that'll be us soon enough."

"We're going to be that big, loud family that all other families stare at." I chuckle as I think about all the times I've been out and seen a big family with five or six people. They always look so fun and happy.

"Loud and proud!" Callie cheers.

"Wouldn't want it any other way."

 **Thanks to musicforsoul her helping out and thanks for reading! Happy Holidays!**


	25. Chapter 25

I don't own anything…all credit goes to ABC/Shondaland

Chapter Twenty-Five

Callie's POV

"Well not that I doubted a fellow doctor, but she was one hundred percent correct. You're having twins!" Doctor Brown confirms to us during my eight-week checkup ultrasound. We got back from Maryland a few days ago and were able to schedule our last appointment with doctor Brown. With Arizona and the kids being on winter break, her schedule was much more open. I, on the other hand, don't have the luxury of a month-long break so I have to fit in these appointments when I can. "And by the looks of things," She continues moving the wand around on my stomach. "You're having fraternal twins. It's too early to determine to sex, but I see two healthy amniotic sacs and two healthy placentas, which often guarantees fraternal twins. Congratulations!"

"Are they okay? Cause I mean one looks a little bit bigger than the other." Arizona asks from her spot right next to me and following along on the monitor. "Is that normal?"

"It's perfectly normal." Doctor Brown answers easing both of our concerns. "One baby is usually bigger than the other. Not by much, but usually a few ounces or so. Your babies look great. They are right on track for everything."

"You're doing great, Calliope." My wife reassures me and gives me a kiss on my forehead.

"Would you ladies like a picture?"

"Yes please!" I reply. She presses a couple buttons and out comes another picture of our twins. They are still very small and you can't really see many features, but I'm already convinced they look adorable.

"How many hours of sleep are you getting at night, Callie?"

"Um, about six to eight." I shyly answer. I know that's not enough rest, but it's really all I can get with my schedule. "When I come home from work I usually take a quick nap sometimes, but that's about it."

"I hate to sound like a hard ass, but six is not enough. You need to be sleeping eight hours or more. I know doctors can run on fuel, but you've got to think about yourself and the two babies growing inside of you. If your body is telling you to slow down, then slow down."

"I know. I understand."

"What's your diet like?" She asks while snapping off her gloves and passing me a towel to clean my stomach.

"Well I'm drinking tons and tons of water."

"That she is!" Arizona vouches for me. "There are probably about two water bottles in each room in the house. I make dinner most nights and it's lots of grilled chicken, lean meats, vegetables, whole grains. All the good stuff."

"At work I grab a salad or sandwich."

"Good, that's all really good. Well we checked your weight and vitals when you came in and that's all good." She says checking my file once more. "You can expect go gain six pounds during your first trimester and about a pound a half with each passing week after that. You're going to get bigger faster, so don't be alarmed. I'm sure doctor Caplan will monitor you closely and my office will send all your information over to him. He is one of the best. I send practically all my clients to him."

"He was great with Arizona and Noah. We really like him."

"That's good. You know I've seen a lot of couples and a part of me almost feels like marriage counselor at times, but you two are one of the good ones. It really has been a pleasure helping you along on this journey and I'm very excited and happy for you guys."

"Thank you. You've been such great help." Arizona replies. "I don't think we could thank you enough."

"It was about three months ago I suggested IVF to Arizona and I wouldn't have imagined everything happening so quickly, but it did and we're extremely happy."

"I'm just happy I could help. IVF can be a daunting process, but you two tackled it head on. If you ever need anything or have any questions, feel free to call my office. One final piece of business, we still have some of Arizona's eggs frozen. Do you want to keep them? If not, we can dispose of them or you can donate them to an egg bank."

"Oh, we haven't discussed that." I answer uncertainly. That's something we haven't talked about. "Do you need an answer now?"

"No, you can think it over and call the office when you decide There's no right or wrong answer, it's purely up to you two. One you decide something, Arizona will have to come in since they eggs are biologically hers and just sign some paper work. It's very simple."

"Okay, thanks."

"Sure thing. Take your time getting dressed. Good luck with everything!" Doctor Brown says as she leaves the patient room.

"I really liked her." Arizona comments.

"Me too. We should've gotten her a gift."

"We should have! What's the appropriate gift for an IVF specialist?"

"I don't know. A Starbucks gift card?"

"Callie!" Arizona says bursting into laughter.

"What? We could put like a hundred dollars on it. Doctors love coffee." Once I finished getting dressed we leave the office and Arizona drives me back to the hospital.

"So what are you doing for the rest of the day?"

"Emma is watching the kids for two hours, so I'm just going to run a few errands. Our Hawaii trip is coming up, do you need me to pick up anything? I'm going to get the kids new Christmas pajamas."

"No. I think I'm okay, thanks though."

"Do you want to stop and get lunch? I feel like since we always schedule these appointments during your lunch time you never get a chance to eat something."

"I'll grab something in the cafeteria. I have a consult soon, so I can't have a big lunch." I answer. "So what do you want to do with your eggs?"

"Oh, well I haven't given it much thought. I guess we should keep them for when we have more kids."

"When? You want more kids?" I ask carefully. "I think four is enough, don't you?"

"Are you saying you don't want more?"

"I think so, yeah."

"Oh." Looking at my wife, I see that she's disappointed with my answer, but she keeps her eyes on the road in front of us. "Well I guess that's it then."

"I mean if you want more, we can talk about it. I think we should hold off for at least two or three years though."

"Actually I think we should donate them." She states bluntly.

"What?"

"Donate my eggs. I turn thirty-one in a few months, if we do have more kids down the line we could just try again with the eggs I have then or you can try too. We don't have to keep them."

"Fair enough, but I don't want you to donate them."

"Why not?"

"Because what if some couple decides to use your egg and they get pregnant. You'll have some kid walking around out there that's half yours. Eighteen years later they are showing up at our house saying 'Hi, I'm your kid'. I don't want that."

"You do realize we used donor sperm for Noah and our twins. It's the exact same thing."

"No it's not. Noah's different. They twins are different. They're ours."

"I hate to break it to you, babe, but it's not different. If some dude didn't donate his stuff we wouldn't have Noah and he's brought up so much joy. If donating my eggs will bring another family that joy then why not do it?"

"I don't want you to have a kid with someone else."

"I'm not having a kid with someone else. I'm sure I can sign some paper saying I don't want to be contacted and keep my information private. I don't think this hypothetical kid is going to come looking for me."

"You can't guarantee that."

"Callie, come on. You're being a little irrational."

"No, I don't think I am." I readily counter. "I love you for wanting to donate them and give another family joy and happiness, but that's not your responsibility. Let someone else do that. I'll just feel uncomfortable knowing there's possibly another half Arizona out there in the world that's not ours. I don't want you to have a kid with another person."

"Again, it's not me. It's another couple. They probably won't even think about me."

"They will when they go through the profile book like we did with Noah."

"Callie, are you serious right now?" Pulling into the hospital parking lot, she finds a spot and turns the car off. "You're being hypocritical."

"Don't say it, Arizona…"

"You had Sofia with Mark."

"That's different and you know it. It was before I met you. Besides, Mark isn't anonymous. He's around…"

"Trust me, I'm fully aware." She snickers out, but I ignore it. "What's your point?"

"My point is Sofia knows all three of us. The child of your donor egg won't know you, isn't that weird to you?" I don't get how she doesn't understand my feelings on this.

"It's not something I'll probably think about. Who says someone will even use my egg? You're almost acting jealous for no reason."

"Hell yeah I'm jealous of some random family potentially having your kid. I think I have every right to be as your wife. Is it really too much to ask that you not donate your eggs?"

"At little bit, yeah. Bottom line, they're my eggs and I'll do what I want." She says firmly. We sit in the car in empty silence processing everything. "Callie, I understand what you're saying, but…"

"I have to go." I check my phone and realize my lunch break. "I'll see you at home."

"Eat something, please." She reminds me as I get out of the car. "I love you."

"Love you too." Walking into the hospital I try to calm myself down and clear my head. I need to have a fresh mind for my upcoming consult.

"Doctor Torres, I've been looking for you!" Wilson greets me as I walk through the automatic doors of Seattle Grace. "We have a consult with doctor Mitchell up in peds in ten minutes. Here are the scans." She passes me a tablet and walks with me to my office. "Molly Walker, age nine. She's had multiple surgeries on her left leg due to a horrible accident. She's still having terrible pain and her physically therapy isn't going well."

"What's Jordan recommending?"

"Jordan? Oh right, yeah, doctor Mitchell. She wants to know your thoughts on an above the knee amputation. She thinks Molly learning how to walk again with a prosthetic might give her a better quality of life."

"I'm not going to cut off a healthy leg, especially on a nine-year-old."

"Well that's why she wants you to look at the scans. Her leg isn't healthy, she's in deep pain, and at this rate she's looking at multiple surgeries that might not do anything."

"When's the consult?"

"Ten minutes."

"Okay, I'll go over the scans again in my office. Can you get some new scrubs?"

"What's wrong with the ones you have now?" She asks looking me over. "They look fine."

"The pants are just a little snug." I shyly confess in a whisper.

"Ooohhh yeah, one time I ate cheeseburgers for week straight and gained like five pounds. I totally feel you." She nods as if she understands, but she doesn't. Eventually I'll tell Wilson the baby news, but not now. "New pants. On it."

"Oh and get me a donut from the cafeteria."

"Okay, chocolate or glazed?"

"Chocolate."

"Okay."

"Wait, no. Glazed. Glazed is healthier, right?"

"Um, either way it's a donut."

"You're right, so bring me a glazed donut and a banana." Arizona does have me on this health theme. Every time I eat something I'm always second guessing if it's healthy enough for the babies. "That should even it out."

"Pants. Glazed donut. Banana." She repeats.

"Wait, scratch that. Pants. Half a donut and a banana."

"Half a donut?"

"Yes, Wilson. Half. Cut it into two pieces."

"Uhhh, okay…half chocolate or glazed?"

"Glazed!"

"Right, okay. On it!" She turns on her heels and heads for the cafeteria, but I've changed my mind again.

"Wait!"

"Yes, doctor Torres." She spins around exaggeratedly with a huff.

"Just bring me two donuts. One chocolate. One glazed. A banana. Don't forget the pants!"

"Are you sure that's what you want?"

"Yep. Thank you!" I return to my office satisfied with my order. Damnit if I want donuts, I'll eat donuts. I can't just have one. I've got to babies to feed, I'll feel bad if only one gets to taste the fried sugary goodness. At least that's what I'm telling myself. Twenty minutes later and two donuts down, I'm up in the Peds ward with Wilson and Jordan in an exam room.

"So what are you thinking?" Jordan asks. "I don't want to put this girl and her mother through any more surgeries."

"Well where's the pain coming from?"

"We can't pinpoint it. Every time it's coming from a different spot in her leg."

"Are we sure it's just the leg?"

"Yes. We've run tests. After the accident we fixed the leg as much as possible, but it never really recovered. We've gone in four times since there. This girl is in pain, Callie. The leg is practically gone itself. She's got no feeling in some spots, PT isn't doing much, I think an amputation is her only option. She's young and can learn how to walk again, but I'll only feel comfortable if you think it's okay."

"What's the mother saying?"

"I haven't brought it up yet. I wanted to hear from you." I look at the scans once more and think over any possible options. "What are you leaning towards?"

"I mean the scans speak for themselves. Can I meet her?"

"Yeah, I'll take you to her now." Wilson and I follow Jordan to Molly's room. "Molly, Mrs. Walker, this is doctor Torres. She's our Head of the Orthopedics here."

"It's very nice to meet you, Molly. You too, Mrs. Walker." I say shaking her hand. "How are you feeling today, Molly?"

"I'm okay." She state cheerfully. "My leg really hurts, but other than that I'm good. Are you going to fix my leg?"

"First, doctor Wilson is going to administer more medicine so you don't feel any pain." I give a look to Wilson and she follows. "Second, I think we may have a solution for you, but I want to talk with your mom first, is that okay?"

"Sure. Mom, go talk to the nice docs, will ya?"

"Of course sweetie." Mrs. Walker gives her daughter a kiss and leaves the room with Jordan and I. "So can you really help us?" The anxious mother asks once we're away from her daughter's room.

"Mrs. Walker we have a suggestion, but it's a drastic one." Jordan begins.

"I don't care how drastic; I just want my daughter to be a kid again. No more pain, no more surgeries, no more doctors. What is it?"

"We think…" Jordan clears her throat and starts over. "Mrs. Walker, we believe…" I notice Jordan is struggling to get the words out, so I take over.

"We think it's in the best interest if we perform an above the knee amputation."

"You want to cut off my baby's legs?" She gasps in disbelief.

"Yes. In the long run it will give you daughter a better quality of life. Right now her left leg is dead weight and she can't do much with it. A prosthetic will allow her so much more. She can walk, play sports, be active again. It'll take lots of physical therapy, but it's worth it in the end."

"And you're sure this is the only option?"

"We can run some more tests and check everything again, but yes. It's the only option besides more surgeries and pain. Unfortunately, right now she'll never have full use of her leg again."

"Can I think it over?"

"Of course. You can talk it over with Molly and then we can come in and answer any questions."

"And doctor Mitchell, you agree?"

"Yes ma'am, I do. Doctor Torres is one of the best in the country and I wouldn't have come to this conclusion without talking it over with her."

"Well I'll talk it over with Molly. Thank you."

"Of course." Mrs. Walker returns to Molly's room and Wilson exits.

"Alright, so I pushed so more meds and her pain has subsided. What did the mom say?"

"She's going to think it over." I answer. Jordan is still unusually quiet, so I decide to talk with her in private. "Wilson, run every scan you can on that leg. I want to make sure there's absolutely no other option."

"Got it." Once Wilson leaves, I nudge Jordan along into an examination room.

"Jordan, are you okay?"

"I'm okay." She lies. It's been years since we were together, but I can still tell when she's not telling the truth.

"Seriously Jordan, what's up?" I ask softening my voice. "You can talk to me."

"I just…I don't know. I feel like I failed. Molly has been through so much and she does it all with a smile on her face. I feel like I let her down."

"No, don't do that to yourself. You didn't fail. You thought of another option for her. A good one at that."

"I've already lost three kids this week. I just feel like I'm not doing something right."

"Come on now, you can't get down on yourself. You're a great doctor. Shit happens, and it sucks, but you can't let it get you down. Other kids and families are depending on you."

"It's just been a very stressful week. Here and at home."

"Is, um, everything okay at home?" I tread carefully because we don't really talk about personal stuff together anymore.

"My wife left."

"Your wife left you?" I ask surprised. It was just a few months ago that I was invited to their wedding.

"No! No, not like that. Geez, sorry." Jordan quickly recovers. "She left to go out of town. Her dad suffered a heart attack, so she's with her family. He's better, but she's been gone all week and I have no one to talk to. At night when she calls I don't want to tell her about the kids who died because I don't want to create negative thoughts right now given her situation."

"Good or bad, I'm sure she wants to hear. Don't bottle this stuff up."

"I know. Also, I heard about your…" She looks at my stomach then looks back at me.

"Did Meredith tell you? I told her not to tell anyone. Great, soon the whole hospital will know. I haven't even told my sister yet. Or Addison. I bet she'll be happy."

"Why would Addison be happy about your miscarriage?" Jordan questions confused.

"Ooooohhh. You were talking about that. I thought—never mind."

"I was sorry to hear about that. I wanted to say something earlier, but I heard you took some time off, so I left it alone."

"It's alright. It was hard, but Arizona and I got through it. Thanks though. How was your wedding?" I decide to change the topic to something lighter.

"Really good. I was surprised a lot of the hospital staff came."

"You say free food and booze and they'll show up. Thanks again for the invitation, I wanted to come, but Arizona felt weird about it."

"Your wife really doesn't like me, huh?"

"It's safe to say she's not your number one fan, but I think if you were on fire she would at least call for help." I joke.

"Oh, well that makes me feel better." She sarcastically laughs back. The exam room door opens and Meredith comes in.

"Sorry, I can come back." Grey suggests looking between us. "Take your time."

"No, you're good. I have a meeting. Thanks for the talk, Callie."

"No problem. Page me when you have an update on Molly."

"Okay, see ya, Meredith." Jordan excuses herself from the room.

"Look at you two, chumming it up and laughing. And people say you can't be friends with your exes." She grins widely.

"We're not friends. We're colleagues who are friendly with each other."

"Same with me and Derek." She winks. "I'm kidding, but it is nice to see you two laughing together. When she first arrived it was team Callie or team Jordan. Everyone was team Callie by the way."

"That was years ago, we're past that."

"Good. So did you tell Arizona about the babies?"

"As a matter of fact I did. We had our eight-week checkup earlier today."

"How'd it go?"

"Good, babies are growing and making me very sleepy in the process. Hey, quick question. How would you feel if Derek donated his sperm so other people could have kids?"

"If his sperm is producing any kids they better be mine."

"So you'd be mad, right?"

"Yeah. I don't want him fathering other kids."

"Exactly my point! Thank you!" I know I can't be alone in my thinking. Meredith just gives me confirmation that I'm not totally crazy. A few hours later I finally make it home.

"Hello?"

"In the dining room!" Arizona calls back. "We tried waiting for you, but they were getting really hungry."

"It's okay. Hey Sof." I place a kiss on her head as well as Noah's. "Hey Noah."

"Hi mama." They both answer.

"What's on the menu tonight?" I ask the table after I give Arizona a hello kiss and take a seat. "It smells good."

"Mommy made lasagna and salad." Sofia cheerfully answers.

"Well I can tell it's good cause Noah's got sauce all over his face." Noah happily smiles and continues to lick marinara sauce off his mouth. "Try using a napkin, buddy."

"We were just talking about our trip to Hawaii." Arizona informs me. "We're planning stuff to do."

"I wanna build a huge sandcastle on the beach."

"Yeah, what about you Sof?"

"I wanna going surfing."

"I don't think you're old enough, Sof."

"Pleaseeeee."

"I'll look into it, but I'm not making any promises. What about you, Arizona?"

"We should do a nice couples massage. I really want to get in the pool too. Maybe Noah will show us some of his swim moves from his lessons."

"Mama, can we get a dog for Christmas?" Our son innocently asks. "Cause I really want a dog."

"Me too!" Sof adds.

"No, we're not getting a dog."

"But—"

"No dog, Sof." My mini me crosses her arms across her chest, making sure to let the entire table know she's upset and pouting.

"Mommy, can we get a dog?" She tries again. "Please."

"Mama already said no, Sof and I'm with her on this one."

"You guys are being mean."

"Just cause we said you can't get a dog doesn't mean we're being mean, Sofia. You can't always get what you want." Arizona tries to explain, but Sof isn't having it. Our daughter can be very stubborn.

"Yes I can."

"Sof, it's not up for discussion. We aren't getting a dog right now. Ask us again in five years." I say putting an end to that topic.

"Well can we get a fish?" Noah chimes in.

After dinner and bathes, they each got some extra playing time since they are on break before they finally went to bed. I opted for a night shower before turning in myself.

"What ya doing?" Coming out of the bathroom fully dressed in pajamas and ready for bed, I find my wife in bed looking up stuff on her laptop.

"Looking up cribs. Do you think we should get the same ones or different ones? They're twins, they already have a lot in common. Maybe different cribs are good; they'll each have their own personality."

"You mean different style cribs or just a different color?"

"Hmm, good point. Maybe just different colors. Like one yellow and one green or something."

"That works." I join my wife in bed and lay back on a pillow while she stays sitting up against the headboard. "Are you happy we're having fraternal instead of identical?"

"I didn't really have a preference." She glances down at me then returns her attention to her screen. "At least when they get here we'll be able to tell them apart. I was nervous that I would mix them up."

"There's still a chance." I offer jokingly. "You still want boys?"

"Yeah. I mean of course I'll be happy with anything, but two boys would be nice. Three girls and three boys. The house will be even. You?"

"One of each would be cool, but I just want to get through this pregnancy without any complications. Then whatever God blesses us with is what we'll have."

"I agree." She closes her laptop and sets it aside. "So I've been thinking about our conversation from earlier and if you don't want me to donate my eggs I won't."

"Really? You were right earlier, there your eggs and you can do whatever you want I just wanted to be included in the conversation."

"I still think donating would be nice, but…" She slides down in the bed and becomes eyelevel with me. "…if you'll feel uncomfortable then I won't do it."

"I just keep picturing an eighteen-year-old showing up at are door one asking to meet his real mom. And I know that could potentially be Noah asking about his dad or the twins, but it just feels different. We can deal with that if it comes up later, but I don't want anyone else walking around with your DNA that isn't ours. I know that's selfish, but I'm going to be selfish about this."

"Then it's done. I'll call the office tomorrow and let them know our decision. I didn't mean to start a whole big thing."

"You're not mad?"

"No, I heard your side and I get it. That's all. I thought donating would be a nice gesture, but I don't want to make you uncomfortable. We have more important things to discuss." Moving on top of me, she slides down until she's comfortably situated between my legs and pushes up my shirt. "How are my babies doing this evening?"

"Babe, you know they can't hear you."

"We don't know that for sure, Calliope. Maybe science got it all wrong and they actually can hear me." She places two kisses on my stomach and talks to it again. "Sometimes your mama think she knows it all. It's up to me, Noah, Sofia, and you two to remind her she doesn't. Also, baby A make sure you share with Baby B. I need you both coming into this world big, strong, and healthy."

"Is that what we're calling them now? Baby A and B?"

"For now, yes. I'll think of something more creative soon."

"Come back up here." She crawls back up my body and smiles down at me. "I love you, you goof."

"I love you more." I cup the side of her face and bring her down for a kiss. She relaxes her arms and her body lies directly on top of mine. I run a hand down her back and dip it underneath the back of her pajama pants. "Calliope."

"Mmmm." She breathes out between kisses.

"We're not having sex tonight."

"We aren't?"

"No." She responds during our light make out session. "No messing around either."

"What makes you think I wanna mess around?"

"You hand on my bare ass."

"Just five minutes."

"Five minutes with you is more like twenty." She rolls off me and gives me a kiss on the cheek. "You need to sleep, babe. It's almost eleven and you have to be at work early in the morning."

"Fine."

"You have that same pout on your face that Sofia had when we said no to a dog."

"Yeah, yeah…" I frown and watch my wife reach for her phone. "What are you doing?"

"About to make you very happy. I'm setting a timer for five minutes."

"Yes, I win! Now get over here." I pull her back on top of me and begin kissing her neck. "You just made your pregnant wife very happy indeed."

"Five minutes, that's it. And nothing below the belt either."

"That sounds like a challenge to me."

 **Thanks for reading and to musicforsoul for helping out! Happy early New Year!**


	26. Chapter 26

I don't own anything…all credit goes to ABC/Shondaland

 **AN: Sorry for the delay! I had every intention of uploading earlier, but stuff came up.**

Arizona's POV

Chapter Twenty-Six

"The only way I was able to get them to finally go to sleep was to promise them they could go swimming first thing tomorrow." Callie comments coming into the bedroom. "Arizona?"

"Bathroom, babe!" I reply. Callie comes in with a pleased smile on her face. "What's this?"

"I thought we could have a nice bubble bath. Today has been a full day, especially for you." Callie worked a half day at the hospital and as soon as she came home we left for the airport to fly to Hawaii. Since it's the holiday season, the airport was busy and to say that cramped our style was an understatement. It took us forever to get through the long security lines and once we finally got to our gate there were no seats for any of us to sit. I told Callie to pull the pregnancy card, but she didn't want to. Then add a five and a half hour flight to the mix and by the time we landed everyone was moody. Once we got our house Sofia and Noah got a fresh jolt of energy and ran around the whole place giggling, laughing, and playing with the toys they forgot they left here. They begged us to go into the pool, but it was late and dark so we just ordered a pizza and called it a night. "Unless you're too tired, then we can just go to bed."

"No, no. A bath is just what I need." I add some bubbles to the warming water as my wife begins to undress. "Enough bubbles?"

"Just the right amount!" Callie tips her toe into the water, testing it, before getting in all the way. "You're joining me, right?"

"Most definitely." I eagerly answer and undress myself. I motion for Callie to move forward a little so I can settle in behind her. "Oh wow, this is great." Relaxing into the soapy water I lean back against the back of the tub and release a long sigh. "I feel like this is the first time my body has truly relaxed in weeks."

"Tell me about it." Callie chuckles. "I'm happy to be out of the OR for more than twelve hours."

"Do you plan on cutting back your OR time?"

"Yeah, I was thinking when I tell the Chief the news we can figure out some sort of plan going forward. He's always been supportive and accommodating in that regard."

"That's good." Sitting up in bath, Callie falls back into my embrace. "So I was thinking when my parents, Tim, and Stacy arrive tomorrow we could tell them the good news. Or we can wait until the day after and surprise them on Christmas."

"Babe, I don't know…" She skeptically answers. "It's too soon."

"We had our first appointment with doctor Caplan just a few days ago and he said you're right on track for ten weeks." My hands glide through water and I protectively place them over my wife's growing stomach. "We saw their heads and the beginning stages of their little arms and legs on the ultrasound. Next time we might be able to hear their ultrasounds. They're growing just like they are supposed to. I think telling my family right now is okay." I give her a kiss on her shoulder while she thinks about it. "I know technically you're supposed to wait until you're through your first trimester, but you're almost there."

"You know it was around this time we lost our last baby." She softly answers. "I think I would feel a little better if we waited. I promise once I'm officially through my first trimester we can tell your family. I'm already looking forward to your mom's reaction."

"If that's what you want, then that's what we'll do." I honestly answer. "You know I never told my mom about the miscarriage."

"Really?" She questions, turning her head to the side to look at me. "Did you tell anyone?"

"Only Tim. He called when I was at a low point and I told him. I don't think he told my mother, if he did she hasn't mentioned anything."

"Do you have a plan on how you want to tell your parents?" She asks changing the topic and running her hands up and down my thighs.

"I was just thinking we kind of just blurt it out. Nothing fancy or anything."

"Quick and to the point. Easy enough. I like it."

"What about your dad and sister?"

"I'll probably call them or something."

"You think you want to tell your mom?" I hesitantly ask. Her mother has always been a sticky topic. "I'm sure she'd love to know."

"Would she though?" She rhetorically answers with a bit of sass. "No, I'm not telling her. I'm sure my dad will tell her anyway. Enough about her. Do you think Sof or Noah will notice first?"

"My money is one Noah. He's pretty observant."

"See I think it'll be Sof. She's been through this before." Callie counters while playing with the soapy bubbles.

"True, but she probably doesn't even remember. She was too young. I think we should let them guess."

"Instead of telling them?"

"Yeah, I'm sure they'll realize something is different and then they'll speak up about it."

"I like it. It won't take too long. I feel like I'm going to wake up with a huge stomach one of these days. I still can't believe I have two babies inside of me. Even on the ultrasounds and the pictures, it still baffles me."

"I can't wait! I almost wish they would come tomorrow, but we're not ready at home for them. I'm curious to see what they look like."

"Okay, okay. Enough baby talk. Let's talk about something else."

"Like what?"

"Hmmm, well your birthday is coming up soon. What do you want to do?"

"Nothing." I flatly answer. Everyone knows I'm not a big birthday person. Well at least for me. It's fun to celebrate other people's birthdays, but for mine I could care less. "I take that back. A nice family dinner. That's all."

"Babe, come on. You must want something more than that."

"Nope. That's all. A birthday dinner and you."

"Me?"

"Yep you. You're my dessert." I try to keep a straight face, but I fail miserably.

"You're so corny." Callie laughs. "But if that's what you want I'll see what I can do." She smirks at and kisses my pink lips. She pulls on my bottom lip and releases with a little 'pop'. She kisses me again and this time I deepen the kiss with my tongue and put a hand on the back of her hair to hold her close. Right now I'm very thankful for the wide tub because it gives her more than enough room to turn her body around and sit on my lap. "How about a little birthday preview right now?" She purrs in my left ear while trailing her hand up my chest. "I'm in a very giving mood."

The next morning I woke up alone, which was not how I went to bed. I reach a hand out to feel out for my wife's body, but I come up empty. Blinking open my eyes, I sit up and lean back on my elbows and smile at my wife who's busy staring out at the ocean our big, long bedroom windows provide us.

"Whatcha lookin' at, babe?" A slightly startled Calliope turns around with an apologetic look.

"Did I wake you?"

"Not at all. What are you doing up?"

"I had to use the bathroom and then our view just caught me. Watching the ocean is very soothing."

"You know you can see it from our bed." I pull back some sheets and pat the space next to me. "Come get in bed." She walks the small distance back to our king-sized bed and gets in. I put an arm around her and she rest her head on my shoulder and even throws a leg over mine. "This is much better."

"I agree" We spend the next few minutes content with the quietness. It's a nice change from our house back home. Even though we live in a quiet neighborhood, any given morning you can hear cars driving up and down the street. Here, it's just silent. That is until…

"Mommy! Mama! Can we go swimming now?" Noah loudly questions coming into our room and jumping on our bed. "You said last night we could go swimming today."

"Isn't there something you want to say first?" I ask our jubilant son. "Maybe good morning?"

"Oh right." Callie and I detangle as Noah tries to wiggle his way in between us. "Morning mama, morning mommy." He says giving us each a kiss on the cheek. "Now can I go swimming?"

"Well a promise is a promise." Callie says snuggling Noah. "Is Sof up?"

"I looked in her room and she was still sleeping."

"Of course she is. Go put on some swim trunks and meet us downstairs, okay?"

"Yes!" He cheers throwing his little arms in the air. Crawling over my legs, he reaches the edge of the bed, jumps down, and scurries off.

"Is a vacation really a vacation if you still get up early?" I ask shuffling out of bed.

"Yes, because we're in wonderful Hawaii. We don't have to pack lunches or go to the office. We can strut around in bathing suits all day if we want."

"Speaking of bathing suits, I guess I need to put mine on."

"You do that and I'll fix Noah a quick morning snack. Coffee?"

"Yes please!" Callie puts on her robe and slippers and leaves the room. I rummage through my bag for a bathing suit and throw it on. I put my hair up in a bun, grab some sunblock and sunglasses, get two pool towels, and slip on my flip flops. Once I get down to the kitchen, Noah is scarfing down his bowl of fruit and nearly jumping out of his seat.

"Mommy's here! Now is it pool time?"

"Fine, you can head out. But don't get in the pool yet." Noah chugs his water and runs out back towards the pool. "Here you go. A piping hot cup of Joe." Callie passes me a mug and I readily take a sip. "He's full of energy this morning. I bet he'll be ready for a nap at noon."

"Sof still down?"

"Yep." Callie walks out back and I follow her. Noah is sitting on the edge of the pool and kicking the water with his feet. "Come here for a sec, Noah. Gotta put sunscreen on you." Callie lathers our son up with lotion and I do the same to myself before jumping in the water.

"Is it cold, mommy?"

"Just a little, but you'll be fine." I tell him. Moving to the shallow end I help him get in the water and he clings to my chest. "Callie, do we have any floaty things?"

"Yeah, I'll go find them." While Callie goes in search for some flotation devices, Noah and I move around the water leisurely. Given the early time, it's not too hot out and Noah has seemed to clam up some.

"You alright, bud?"

"Yeah." He softly murmurs. A few minutes ago he was so excited, but now he's quiet and I feel as though he's almost intimidated by the water. "Wanna go in the deep end?" He adamantly shakes his head no and tightens his grip around my neck. "Oookay…you wanna—"

"Where's mama?" He asks looking around outside.

"She went inside to get something—look she's coming back now." I point to the sliding door that Callie walks out of with a bunch of pool toys.

"So I found a whole bunch of stuff." My wife says throwing them into the pool. "You guys good?" Swimming over to the edge of the pool, I plop Noah on the edge and hop out. I pull Callie off to the side, keeping a watchful eye on our son. "What's up?"

"I think he's nervous." I hint towards my wife.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean five minutes ago he was so excited and as soon as we got into the water he latched on to me for dear life. Was this what is was like at your swimming lessons?"

"Yeah it took him a few minutes to warm up, but by the end of the class he was jumping in the water on his own and swimming around with his little floaty things. He'll warm up, just give him some time."

"I think you should get in with us. He's used to swimming with you." We both look over to Noah who's happily keeping himself entertained.

"Fine." She says sighing. "I was trying to get a light tan before it got too hot, but I'll go change. You sure this isn't just a ploy to get me in the water with _you."_ Narrowing her eyes, she gives me a little smirk.

"I promise I have no ulterior motives, but you in a bathing suit in the pool is always a win situation for me."

"Mhmm. I thought so." She gives me a light peck on the lips. "I'll be back." Twenty minutes later Callie and surprisingly Sofia come out in their bathing suits ready for the pool, and without

missing a beat Sofia jumps right in making a big splash around Noah and I. Callie chose a more calm approach and walked into the water. "Alright, who's up for a little pool fight?"

"Me! Me! Me!" They both cheer.

"Okay, here's the plan. Noah get on my back, Sof get on mommy's. Then each of you take a swim noodle and battle it out." Noah swings first and hits Sofia in the head.

"Ow!" Sof yelps.

"Okay, how about we stay away from the head area." I suggest. "You okay with him on your back?" I softly ask my wife.

"I'm good." She affirmatively nods. "He's light as a feather in this water. Besides, this might be the last time I get to do this for a while, so…"

"Right, okay. Well then I hate to say this, but I think Sofia and I are going to win this." I playfully brag on behalf of my daughter and I.

"Don't be too sure about that. Noah's got a nice little swing."

"Can we start now?" Sofia anxiously begs, waving around her pink noodle. "I'm ready!"

"Alright, alright let's go, but remember you two love each other. You're not trying to hurt one another."

"Got it mommy." Noah nods. Noah and Sof swinging at each other while Callie and I navigate around the pool. Both of them get a few good hits in, making the other topple over into the water. After a while they realized it was harder than they anticipated, so they just decided to jump into the pool over and over again, doing a funny gesture each time. After about an hour, we all got hungry again so we whipped up a big breakfast and ate outside to enjoy the scenery and weather. Given that we were tired from our early pool activities, we lounged around in the living room. Callie and I cuddled up on the couch and the kids were busy playing with different toys and gadgets on the floor.

"Your family doesn't get in for another hour." Callie asks as I get up from the couch to go answer the door. "You think they got in early?"

"I don't think so. If they did I'm sure they would've called."

"Maybe it's Santa!" Noah chirps up. "He came early!"

"Santa comes when we sleep, Noah." Sofia answers matter-of-factly. As I get closer to the door I see a familiar figure from the side window.

"Aria?" I ask, genuinely surprised to see her standing in front of me. "Wh-what are you doing here?"

"Surprise!" She greets me with a big bear hug. "Merry Christmas, Arizona!" As soon as the kids here my sister-in-law's voice they run over to the door.

"Auntie Aria!" Noah yelps wrapping his arms around her lower body. "What are you doing here?"

"I came to spend Christmas with my favorite niece and nephew." She smiles brightly. "I miss you guys."

"Did you bring gifts too?" Sofia questions looking at Aria's duffle bag.

"Sofia…" Callie lightly scolds coming over to us. "Aria, it's good to see you. Although I'm thoroughly surprised." Callie and I look at each other and shrug. We love Aria, but we had no clue she was coming.

"Well hello to you to, sis. And yes Sof, of course I brought gifts for you guys. I know better than to show up empty-handed."

"You wanna play Legos with me?" Noah pulls on Aria's hand. "I'm making a big castle."

"I'd love to. Can I talk with your moms for a second?"

"Sounds like a good idea to me. Guys, go back to the living room for a sec." Callie instructs pushing them along. "Come inside, Aria." We move into the kitchen with Aria. She takes a seat at the breakfast bar and Callie offers her a glass of water. "First, how did you know we were here?"

"Callie, you're literally here every Christmas. Also, you texted me last week. Remember? You were stressing because you hadn't packed yet."

"Oh yeah…"

"How long as you staying?" I ask.

"A couple days. I can stay at the hotel."

"Nonsense, you can stay with us. We have the room."

"Aria, what's up?" Callie worriedly inquires. "I mean I love to see you and like Arizona said of course you can stay with us, but I have a feeling you didn't just come to celebrate Christmas with us. I figured you be in Miami with mom and dad."

"That was my original plan, but…" She takes a long pause and just stares at us.

"Okay Aria now you're making me nervous." Calliope states. "What is it?"

"Callie, I have something I need to tell you."

 **AN: Thanks for reading and thanks to musicforsoul! A little update: I fully intend on finishing this story all the way through, but my updates are unfortunately going to come a little slower. I like updating once a week, but I just don't have the time anymore (I'm taking seven classes this semester). That being said, I'm thinking one or two updates a month. I hope you understand. Like I said, this story will get finished – I have a pretty good outline for the rest of the way. Thanks for the continued support, it means a lot! I hope your 2017 is off to a good start!**


	27. Chapter 27

**I don't own anything…all credit goes to ABC/Shondaland**

 **Hope you enjoy!**

Callie's POV

Aria's news was definitely surprising. It was honestly the last thing to cross my mind. On one hand I'm a little nervous for her, but also very excited. I'm still processing all the information. We only talked for a few minutes before Arizona's family showed up and we got sidetracked with family stuff. Now when the house is quiet and everyone is in bed is when I actually have time to digest everything. Who would've thought wrapping Christmas presents at one in the morning would be therapeutic, but it surprisingly is.

"Calliope, baby, come to bed. It's late." Arizona pleads joining me in the living room. "You've been wrapping gifts for almost an hour."

"I'm almost done. Six left."

"Fine, well at least let me help you." She takes a seat next to me on the ground and I pass her a roll of tape. "I'm certain we spoil our kids."

"Oh we totally do, but we might as well." I pass her a roll of decorative wrapping paper. "Get to wrapping, babe."

"So I saw you and Aria go out to the beach to talk. Is everything alright? She was worrying me some. I decided to give you guys some space it seemed like a sister thing."

"She's fine, or she will be. Oddly enough she came to me for some guidance, but I'm sure it's really my place."

"Am I allowed to know? I don't want to impose."

"She won't mind, besides she knows I tell you everything. Get this…" Stopping my movements, I look at my wife directly in the eyes and lower my voice, "…she's pregnant." Arizona's eyes nearly explode out of her face in shock.

"She's what?! You're lying!"

"Serious as a heart attack, babe. She's nervous as hell, which I totally get."

 _A few hours ago…_

 _"You're pregnant?" I ask for confirmation. I know I heard her the first time, but I still can't believe it. "How far along are you?"_

 _"Six weeks. I had an appointment yesterday." She answers while drawing a random design with her foot in the sand. "I just couldn't go home so I came here. I couldn't spend Christmas with mom and dad with all of this on my mind. I don't know what to do, Callie." Her voice cracks and I'm instantly step forward to give her a much needed hug._

 _"Hey, hey, it's going to be okay. I promise." I say consoling her._

 _"I just hate myself for getting myself into this situation. This wasn't supposed to happen. Not now." She says on the verge of tears._

 _"Do you not want this?"_

 _"I don't know."_

 _"Well you know you have options, right? Don't take this the wrong way, but do you know who the dad is?" I ask carefully. It's no secret that my sister has a few male companions she's associated with._

 _"Yeah, his name is Logan. He works in New York and whenever I'm in town we get together. He's a good guy and we get along well. We're not dating or anything, but I'm certain he's the dad."_

 _"Okay, have you told him?"_

 _"No. Yesterday I had the blood work done and everything. I was super late and then I was in denial cause I knew what it meant."_

 _"Aria, if you don't want to have a baby you don't have to. You can terminate the pregnancy. You know you'll have my support either way." Aria stays quiet for a moment and we both listen to the splashing of the waves just a few feet from us._

 _"Did you ever think about an abortion with Sofia?" She asks breaking the silence._

 _"Honestly, no."_

 _"No?"_

 _"Nope. It didn't even cross my mind. Don't get me wrong, I was upset and I cried and cried and cried, but a big part of me was excited and happy. I've always wanted kids, you know that. The timing didn't work out like I expected, but I just saw it as a gift from God. If you're nervous about being a mom, I promise every woman feels that way."_

 _"It's not just that, I honestly don't know if I want this. Do I even tell Logan?"_

 _"Well if you decide to keep it you definitely need to tell him. If not, that's up to you."_

 _"I don't know if I can handle it. I mean my schedule is crazy, I'm not exactly mother material, and my entire life will change. I can't be a single mom. I have you, but you're in Seattle, I'm not sure how mom will handle the situation, and I'm not ready to live full time with Logan. What would you do if you were me?"_

 _"You know I can't answer that, Aria." I respond lightly. "This is one decision you have to make on your own. That being said, I was in almost the same position. I wasn't living with Mark, my job at the hospital was just taking off, and I wasn't ready to be a mom either. You have a lot of things going for you. For one, you're rich. Trust me when I tell you that helps a lot. Second, your job will always be there. Dad isn't going to fire you. Third, you have family and friends who will support you. Of course you have the support of me and Arizona. Addison adores you, and I'm sure she would help you out in any way possible and you have your own group of friends that love you too."_

 _"I'm just really scared, Callie." Aria says again with tears falling down her cheeks._

 _"Take some time and think on it. It's a big decision."_

 _"I thought on the plane a lot. I just don't think I could personally go through with an abortion. I just have no idea how to be a mom and in seven and a half months I have to figure it out."_

 _"Sofia is six and a half and I still haven't figured it out."_

 _"Mom is going to flip. Both of her daughters had kids out of wedlock."_

 _"Yeah, but at least you didn't marry a woman. She'll probably accept your kid." We both a share a laugh because even as ridiculous as it is, it's the sad truth. "Speaking of kids, here comes one of mine now." I notice Noah running towards us with a full head of steam._

 _"Mama, grandma and grandpa are here!"_

 _End flashback._

"Did you tell her about you?"

"No, I didn't think it was the right time."

"Seems like the right call. How cool would it be if you guys have your kids at the same time? Like what are the odds?"

"Slim, babe. Very slim. I think I'm further along and twins tend to come out earlier, so I doubt that's going to happen."

"I think Aria will be a great mom. She's still young and fun. That kid will have the best outfits, I'll tell ya that. If we thought are kids were spoiled, I can only imagine Aria's." My wife states putting a final bow on another wrapped gift.

"Tell me about it. Since we're down here, do you want to open your gift now? I promise it's small."

"You know you're really bad at the whole no gift giving thing."

"I can't help it. So is that a yes?"

"No, it's a no. I'll open it tomorrow. Let's go to bed." Arizona stands up and pulls me along with her. "There's a big, comfy mattress calling our name."

"Mmm, that does sound pretty comfortable right now." I let out a big yawn and follow my wife upstairs.

"Anything exciting going on?" I ask Arizona as she has her hand on my stomach. I woke up to her sitting up on her side and looking down over me. "If I may ask, what exactly are you doing?"

"I'm just…I don't know." She scrunches her face in thought. "I'm trying to feel them. I know it's super early and you're barely just starting to show, but I want to feel closer to them. It's like what you did with Noah.

"I get it."

"I know I ask you this all the time, but what are you feeling? Can you tell there are two in there?"

"Right now, not really, no. I'm sure once they get bigger and begin moving around I will."

"Promise to play nice for mama." Arizona directs her voice to my stomach. "Also, Merry Christmas my little babies!" She places two, heartfelt kisses on my belly.

"Hey, what about me?" I fake pout. "I need a Christmas kiss too."

"You get all the Christmas kisses you want." Bringing her face up to mine, she hungrily places a kiss on my lips that leaves us both a little winded. "Merry Christmas, Calliope."

"Merry Christmas, Arizona. I love you."

"I love you too." Reaching around me to check my phone on the nightstand, she checks the time and smiles naughtily. "I think we've got at least fifteen minutes."

"Fifteen minutes? I can totally work with that." Pushing her back and flipping our position, I plant another kiss on her lips before trailing down her body slowly and kissing her skin, making sure to push away any clothing in the process.

"Mhmm, is this one of my Christmas gifts?" Arizona softy moans.

"Not a gift, babe." I push down her sleeping shorts and place a kiss on her panty-covered center before kissing up her body again and coming face to face with her. "Just me lovin' you."

"Well I definitely like that." She murmurs against my lips. Her arms circle around my neck and pull me down for another searing kiss. She slips her tongue in my mouth while I run a hand down the side of her body until I reach her thigh and rub my hand up and down her smooth skin. Once we break for air I begin nuzzling my nose in her neck and lightly bite and nip at her creamy skin.

"Callie…" She whispers my name as her hips lift up trying to gain some contact with mine. I decide to help her out and slip a thigh between soft legs and she immediately starts moving and grinding down on it.

"IT'S CHRISTMAS! IT'S CHRISTMAS!" Sofia announces loudly as she bursts through our bedroom door.

"Santa came! I saw all the gifts!" Noah adds, running in behind his sister a second later. "Mama, why you top mommy like that?" He says cocking his head to the side and looking at our position.

"Uh, because she was cold." I quickly answer and remove myself from atop my wife and create some distance between us as she pulls the covers up to her neck. Luckily we were both clothed, well except for my wife's bottoms.

"Oh." Noah responds seemingly satisfied. "Play with gifts now?"

"Sure, just give us a second, okay?" Arizona answers flustered. "Go wake up grandma and grandpa."

"They're already up." Sofia states.

"Okay, well go wake up Tim and Stacey." I reply, hoping to just get them out of room for a few minutes. "But knock first!" I warn as they head out.

"Jesus, that was close." I let out a relieved chuckle. "I think one day we might actually scar our kids."

"Hey, at least you had your shorts on. I was pretty bare down there." She sighs, "I was pretty sure we had some time."

"Yeah, me too." My phone rings, altering me of a facetime call. "Who the hell is calling me this early on Christmas?"

"Maybe Mark?" Arizona offers with a shrug. I grab my phone and smile when I see Addison's name on the screen.

"Even better, it's Addie!" I slide my finger across the screen and accept the call. "Hey Addison," I answer. "Merry Christmas!"

"Merry Christmas, Callie!" She smiles brightly. "Guess what?"

"What?" I ask genuinely intrigued. She flashes her hand in the screen and right in the middle is a huge ring. "holy shit, that's a huge ring!"

"I'm engaged!" She nearly jumps out of her seat telling me the good news. "I'm engaged! I'm engaged!"

"Oh my gosh! Addie, that's amazing! Congratulations! When did it happen?"

"Callie it was so romantic, " She starts. "Oh hey, Arizona!" Arizona comes up behind me and enters the frame.

"Congrats, Addison! I'm really happy for you! This is exciting!"

"Thank you. So like I was saying, we were watching one of those classic Christmas movies late last night on the couch. It was really chill and I wasn't suspecting anything. Then when it was over he asked if I wanted to open a gift early so I said sure. He picked box from around the tree and gave it to me. When I opened it the ring box was inside. I was so in shock in dropped the box."

"Classic." I laugh. "Continue."

"I was starting to freak out and then he grabbed the ring box and got down on one knee and opened the box. I wanted to pass out, but I kept it together. He said he loved me and wanted to spend the rest of his life with me and then just popped the question."

"Addie, that's so sweet!"

"It really was. And of course I said yes." She wiggles her hand again in the screen. "Isn't it gorgeous?"

"It's stunning, really." Looking closer at her, I notice she's in scrubs. "Are you at the hospital?"

"Yeah. Get this, two of my patients are in labor this morning! It's still a little early for them to deliver so I'm in my office. I kept staring at my ring and realized I hadn't called my best friend and told her the good news. I figured with two kids you'd be up now."

"Oh we were."

"I'm going to go check on the little rascals." Arizona places a kiss on my cheek and waves bye to Addison. "Come down when you're done. Congrats again, Addie!" Arizona slips on her robe and heads out the room.

"Did I interrupt something?"

"No, no you're fine. So what else happened?" She begins to talk, but I hold my hand up and pause her. "Feel free to leave out the sexy details."

"Callie, you didn't tell me the engagement sex was so hot!" She carries on anyway, ignoring my request. "I mean last night was…I can't even put into words how amazing it was. I'm talking a whole different level."

"Just imagine when you're actually married. It's even hotter!" I exaggerate. "Do you want to know about the time last night in the bath tub or last weekend after the kids went down?" I joke.

"I got it, I got it. Leave out the sexy details." Addison responds blushing. "On second thought, the bath tub story does seem interesting. Remind me to ask you about that another time when we're both drunk and oversharing."

"Yeah, yeah..."

"Oh, I forgot to tell you. We set a date!"

"Already?"

"Yeah, we want to get married before spring training for the season starts. Guess what day we picked?"

"Uhhh, March 5th?" I just throw out a random date.

"Earlier. Valentine's Day!"

"Wait, seriously?"

"Yep. We checked, it's on a Saturday this year. It'll be a whole romantic wedding. I'm calling a wedding planner later because I don't have time to plan a wedding in basically six weeks."

"Wow, that's soon Addie."

"I know. I have to find a dress. Of course you're my maid of honor." She comments knowingly. Addison has always mentioned that I would be her maid of honor, and it makes sense considering how close we are and the fact that she doesn't have any siblings. "And I want Sofia to be our flower girl and Noah to be the ring bearer. You think they're up for that?"

"Of course! They would love it."

"Good! At least I've got that settled."

"Maid of honor, huh? That means I've got to plan your bachelorette party. Any request?"

"Oh, I've got a whole list…" Her pager goes off and our call is cut short. "Baby time. We'll go over details later. You better deliver, Torres."

"Go big or go home, right?"

"That's the spirit! Talk to you later!" After hanging up with my best friend, I head downstairs to check on the rest of the family.

"Mama! Look at what Santa got me!" Noah runs over to me with a toy in his hand. "It's so awesome!"

"That's what you get for being such a good boy." I pick him up and give him a big kiss on his cheek. "I'll help you put it together, okay?"

"Okay, but I wanna open my other gifts."

"Go for it." Putting him down, he runs over to the others gifts as Sofia rips the wrapping paper off another gift. I say hello and Merry Christmas to everyone. We all just sit and watch the excitement that comes over the faces of Sofia and Noah as they continue to open gifts. After a few minutes, I step into the kitchen and get myself some orange juice. Aria follows behind me and pours herself a cup of coffee.

"Hey, how'd you sleep?"

"Good. I woke up in the middle of night."

"Everything alright?"

"Yeah, I was just going over our earlier conversation. I'm still completely freaked out, but seeing Sof and Noah's faces this morning made me realize that I do really want this. Even though I'm not entirely ready, I can't imagine not having my baby."

"That's great, Aria. You know I'm here if you need anything. You're not alone with this."

"I know. I'm going to go back to New York next week and talk with Logan face to face. We have to figure this out."

"You will. I'm sure of it." She goes to the refrigerator to get some milk for her coffee, but I take it from her. "Since you're expecting now, you can't drink coffee." I inform her quietly.

"I thought I couldn't drink alcohol?"

"That too. And sushi. Also, stay away from hot tubs, warm baths are okay, but no water jets. I have a bunch of baby books back home. I'll send you a couple. How about a cup of OJ?" I pour her a glass and she accepts it with an annoyed look on her face. "Trust me, you'll get used to it."

"Mhmm, sure whatever." She mumbles and returns to the living room.

"Everything okay?" Arizona asks coming over to me.

"She's just a little moody cause she can't have coffee."

"Mhmm, sounds familiar." Arizona says with a wink. "So I got you something." She reveals a small black box from behind her back and gives it to me.

"See, I knew you couldn't follow the no gift rule." We always say the trip in itself is our gift to each other, but we usually end up getting each other something. "What is it?"

"Just open it." I bite my lower lip in anticipation and take off the lid. "Arizona, you didn't!" I gasp.

"My girl gets what my girl wants." She grins. "It'll be at home when we get back." I lift the car keychain out of the box and swing it around my finger. The past week and a half we've been going over car selections. She always complains that I pick out the most expensive cars, and I'll be the first to admit that I do. I settled on the Cadillac Escalade ESV, but Arizona insisted it was bigger than what we needed and thought it was overpriced. So I caved and said okay and we kept looking at other options.

"You got the ESV?"

"Yep! I know you thought I was ignoring you when you were talking about all the cool features and the specific ones you wanted, but I was listening. I went to the dealership last week with Noah and Sof and checked it out. Of course they loved the car, so I got it. It's what you wanted, right?"

"Hell yes! I really thought you hated it."

"I didn't hate it, it just wasn't my first option. But if you love it, I love it. Most importantly it can transfer all us safely. I had a nice chat with the guy at the dealership. He promised me it would take great care of our family."

"This is honestly like the best Christmas gift ever!" I wrap her up in a hug and kiss her. "My gift is lousy compared to this."

"Don't say that, anything from you I love."

"Well the envelope is somewhere under the pile of wrapping paper in the other room, but I got us a spa day here in Hawaii the day before we leave. Massages, facials, mani pedi, everything. We have enough adults here that I figured we could escape for a few hours."

"Honestly, that's just what I need. A good massage. I love it, Calliope. Thank you."

"Alright, clear the kitchen ladies. I'm about to cook us up a big breakfast." Barbra declares coming into the kitchen. "Go enjoy Christmas morning with the kids. I'll handle the food."

"I've been meaning to mention, I like what you've added to place. It feels more homey." Barbra and Daniel come down here at least once every three months and it's clear that they've added a little personal touch to the house. "I always think about decorating more here, but never get around to it."

"That's what you have in-laws for. I'm glad you like it."

"It really is great, mom. Thank you."

"It's the least we could do. Now shoo!" Barbra playfully waves us out the kitchen. "Trust me, you'll want to remember these mornings. They go by so fast."

"Alright, alright! We're gone." Arizona states. "Merry Christmas, mom."

"Merry Christmas, dears."

 **Thanks for reading and to musicforsoul!**


	28. Chapter 28

I don't own anything…all credit goes to ABC/Shondaland

Chapter Twenty-Eight

 **Hope you enjoy!**

Arizona's POV

We've been back from Hawaii for a couple of weeks now and we have returned to our normal routine. The kids are back in school, Callie and I are back at work, and every day we get closer to our two new additions joining us. Granted we're still a few months off, but each day is one day closer. I've notices changes in Callie along the way. She's drinking a lot of water which of course leads to using the bathroom a lot more. She's definitely eating more and her energy levels are all over the place. Some day she's super tired and other days she has bursts of energy which have led to some very fun and sexy nights. I'm not sure if she has any cravings, but salt and vinegar potato chips are certainly her thing right now. Besides her growing belly the other most notable feature are her breasts. It seems like they grew over night because they definitely got bigger. Of course I have no issue with it, but I can tell Calliope is a little self-conscious about. She's convinced that people are looking at her chest and not her face sometimes, but she throws them one of her famous Torres glares and they straighten up. Today is an exciting day! We're at the hospital for another doctor's appointment and we will be able to hear the heartbeats for the first time. Right now I'm just waiting for Callie to finish up her conversation with the Chief. I send off a quick text to Teddy just to check in while I wait for Callie.

"Arizona?" I hear my named called and I immediately look up to see who said it. "Over here!" I turn around and notice Meredith Grey coming my way. I put my phone away and walk over to her.

"Hey Meredith. Nice to see you!" I say giving her a hug. "How you been?"

"Good, really good. I just finished a successful surgery so I'm little amped up." She laughs as she takes off her scrub cap. "What are you doing here? It's the weekend. Is Callie okay?"

"Yeah, yeah she's fine. We have a checkup in a few minutes, but she wanted to talk to Chief about the pregnancy and stuff. I'm sure everyone in the hospital knows she's pregnant, but she wanted to have a formal sit down with him just to update him."

"Oh okay. We're really excited for both of you guys. Twins is just…wow, right?"

"Tell me about it. After the appointment we're going shopping to get most of the big stuff out the way."

"That should be fun. How are Noah and Sof? I used to see Noah all the time, but since he started pre-school I haven't seen him in a while."

"They're both great. Probably at home driving the babysitter wild." I laugh. "He's so handsome in his little uniform. It's adorable."

"Oh, I bet he is. Do you have picture?"

"I have hundreds!" I excitedly confess. I pull out my phone and find a picture to show Meredith of Noah in his uniform. "This was just last week." I say passing her my phone.

"He's like a little businessman!" Grey smiles. "You guys really make some cute kids."

"Aw, thanks." She passes my phone back to me and her own pager goes off. "Oh I know that sound."

"Sorry. It looks like I'm needed in the pit." She says reading her device. "It was good to see you though. I see Callie all the time, but it's nice to see the wife too. Listen, if you guys ever need anything Derek and I are always around."

"Thanks, that really means a lot. Tell Derek I said hello."

"I will. Have a good appointment!" Meredith waves goodbye and walks away. I knew I always liked her. I'm glad she and Callie are good friends. I check my phone for the time and begin to wonder just how long it takes to tell someone your pregnant. All of a sudden six doctors dressed in light blue scrubs are running down the hallway spitting out medical jargon. I turn around and try to get a glimpse of where they're going, but as fast as they came they left. As soon as I turn back around I bump right into someone make them drop their tablet.

"Oh shoot! I'm so, so sorry." I apologize and bend down to pick up the item. "Here you go." After I pass off the device and finally look up at who I bumped into I notice it was Jordan. "Uh, sorry about that Jordan."

"It's okay. I should've been paying attention where I was going." She replies surprised to see me. "Um, h-how are you, Arizona?"

"I'm good." I answer and stepping back to put a little space between us. I don't know what it is about this woman, but I don't like her. I just get weird vibes from her. I honestly don't know what Calliope saw in her. "How are you? Busy saving lives?"

"Yeah, something like that I guess." There's an awkward silence between us and I notice a few nurses watching us. "So twins I hear! That's got to be exciting!" She comments trying to make conversation.

"Yeah it is. We're very excited to be adding to our family. Calliope is such a great mother. I couldn't imagine my life without her. I can honestly say I found my soul mate." I brag with a confident smile, making her slightly uncomfortable. Even though it wasn't ever a competition, I'll always feel like I won cause I got Calliope and I think deep down she's still a little upset about that.

"That's great to hear." She plasters on a smile, which I think is genuine. "Here comes your soulmate now." Turning around, I see Callie walking over to us.

"Sorry for the wait. The Chief really likes to talk. Hey Jordan." She acknowledges Jordan with a head nod and grabs my hand. "Ready to go?"

"You have no idea." I place a hand on her belly and lean in for a kiss. "Let's go hear some heartbeats."

"Let's do it. See ya, Jordan." We turn around and head to the nearest elevator. "You and…" She questions.

"I ran into her by accident."

"And here I was thinking you guys suddenly became best friends." She jokes. "I love you." She says pressing a kiss to my forehead.

"I love you too." The elevator arrives and we step on. "How did the talk go?"

"Good. I get three months off and of course they are welcomed to the hospital nursery."

"Are you going to be cutting back OR hours."

"Yeah, but not right away. Wilson is basically going to be me when I'm gone so I really have to make sure she knows everything. Chief said he might hire a temporary ortho surgeon to help out too."

"That'll be good. All the work shouldn't go on a resident." When we arrive to our floor we go through the routine of checking in and waiting for a few minutes before going into an examine room. It's not long until doctor Caplan comes in.

"Ladies! How are we today?" Our doctor asks while snapping on some latex gloves. "Ready to see what you got cookin'?"

"Yes!" I answer enthusiastically. "Will we be able to find out what we're having today?"

"Unfortunately, it's still too early. Callie just crossed into the second trimester, but in about a month or so we should. What are we hoping for? Boys or Girls. Or one of each?"

"Arizona wants boys." Callie readily answers. "I wouldn't mind one of each, but both of us just want them to arrive safely."

"Well I'll do everything I can to make sure that happens. Do you mind stepping on the scale for?" Callie hops off the patient table and steps on the scale while doctor Caplan makes notes in her file.

"Don't look, Arizona." Callie whispers.

"I promise I'm not." I smile back at her.

"Good, that's great. You can get back on the table." I help her up and stand right next to her. "Your weight is right on track. How you been feeling?"

"Well I think my hair grew four inches in like a week, so clearly those hormones and prenatal pills are working. A little heart burn sometimes, but nothing major and it usually subsides quickly."

"Any dizziness or bad cramping?"

"Nope. I actually think I have more energy now."

"That tends to happen during the second trimester. Make good use of it cause now. The third trimester is the opposite. Alright, shirt up." Callie lifts her shirt and he squirts the ultrasound gel over her stomach and uses the wand to smooth it out. Callie and I share a quick kiss as we wait for monitor to clear up.

"That's them, right?" Callie asks pointing towards the screen. The doctor presses a few buttons on the keyboard and enlarges the picture.

"Those are your babies." He confirms.

"Arizona, look, look!" Callie squeals squeezing my hand. "They're so cute!"

"I know, baby. I see them! Looks pretty comfy in there." I joke, making all us laugh. "Are they moving?"

"It appears so. Baby A is waving those little feet around..." He moves the wand over and the picture becomes a little bit clearer. "…and Baby B is sucking their thumb."

"Wow." Callie states in amazement. "Are they healthy?"

"They sure are. They are at a good length. Baby A is still a little bigger, but that's alright. As long as they aren't drastically different in size then it's okay. Ready for the fun part?" He turns up the volume and the whooshing becomes louder and louder. "This is Baby A's heartbeat." We wait for a few seconds to clear up and soon we can hear a flutter. Callie looks at me and I can see her eyes watering. "And here is Baby B's heartbeat." He moves the wand over and we hear the flutter again. "Those are some nice heartbeats, ladies." The sound fills the room for another moment until he prints off a new ultrasound picture. "Alright, so there was one thing I wanted to talk to you about." He mentions while passing Callie some napkins to clean off her stomach. "I was reviewing your file became I came in and—"

"Is everything okay?" I question worriedly, not caring that I interrupted him. "I mean you just said she was good. Is something wrong? What's wrong with our babies." I rattle off quickly.

"Arizona, let the man speak." Callie tries to calm me down, but I can tell by just glancing at her that she's worried to. "What is it, doc?"

"It's not bad. Your babies are fine." He answers looking each of us in the eyes. "I'm recommending Callie have a C-section."

"Oh." I let out a deep breath I didn't realize I was holding. "That's okay."

"Hold up." Callie says putting up a hand. "I want to have them natural."

"Natural?" I ask shocked. "Babe, no you don't."

"Okay, well not natural cause I'm sure I want the drugs, but I want to have them vaginally. Like I did Sof and you did Noah. We can still do that, right?"

"I wouldn't suggest it, Callie. With your history of preeclampsia and other health concerns, C-section is the safer option. Arizona can be in the OR with you and can cut the umbilical cords herself. It's better for you and your babies. If anything were to go wrong we'd already be in the OR with medical equipment and tools ready. We could handle it faster than if we had to transport you from a hospital room."

"But nothing is going to go wrong." I emphasis. "Everything is going to go as planned." Even though it's hypothetical talk, I still don't like hearing that something could go wrong but I do understand it's important to plan.

"Right." He answers. "I'll let you two have a few minutes in here. If you need anything just ask. I'll see you both next time."

"Thank you." Callie quietly states. I shake his hand and he leaves the office.

"Reading to go shopping?" I ask gathering our belongings. "Or you want something to eat first?"

"It was just a suggestion, right. I don't have to do it." She offers, standing up. "I mean I can still have them vaginally."

"No, Callie." I reply definitively. "You're having a C-section. It's safer. End of discussion." We usually talk everything out, but I'm putting my foot down on this. "The man has delivered thousands of kids I'm sure he knows what he's talking about."

"I'm not questioning that, I'm just saying—"

"Callie you don't get to be selfish about this. Sorry honey, but you're having a C-section."

"Fine." She reluctantly answers. "For the babies."

"For the babies. And for you. Shopping?"

"Shopping."

"So how's Aria?" I ask as we browse the aisle of the baby store hand in hand. "Did she talk with the guy?"

"Yeah. She told me he's pleasantly surprised. They aren't together or anything, but they are agreeing to co-parent."

"How's that going to work since he's in New York and she's in Miami."

"I think he's trying to relocate to a Miami office. She even offered to let him stay with her. I mean she's got plenty of space and he wants to be around for everything. I want to meet him though. I'm not happy that he got my sister pregnant."

"Babe, Aria's a grown woman. It takes two to tango."

"I know, but like using a freakin' condom or something."

"A little too late for that. Everything will be fine. As long as she's healthy and happy that's all that matters."

"Ladies, can I help you today?" An energetic salesperson asks. "Looking for anything in particular?"

"Actually, yes! We are looking for a lot. My wife here is pregnant!" I say proudly lifting our linked hands. "With twins! So we basically need two off everything."

"First off, congratulations! We have these scanners you can use." He says passing one to Callie. "Just scan a barcode and it will set up a virtual cart. It makes shopping a lot easier for the bigger items. You can pick, quantity, colors, and other options. Then we can ring everything up at the front and talk about delivery options."

"Perfect! Thank you." I pull out the list I typed out on my phone. "Okay, so we need changing tables, cribs, bassinets, chairs for the room, I was thinking we get a bookshelf for the room. We can get decorations later."

"So do we have a theme for room, or just picking out whatever we like?"

"I'm having the room painted lilac. So whatever goes with that. I'm having the same people who painted the kids room do the new baby room. Maybe they can put some flowers and birds on the walls too."

"When did we decide on lilac?" She questions quizzically.

"Last week in bed. You were watching some show and we talked about it."

"Was I watching Top Chef? Cause if so I probably wasn't listening closely."

"Calliope." I pout. "You said yes."

"You're probably right. Lilac is fine, babe. It's a soft, relaxing color."

"Good. Now let's get to scanning!" Close to an hour later we finally finish shopping for the big items. With everything set to be deliver in the upcoming weeks, we only left the store with two bags full of baby clothes and other small items like bottles and toys. When we get back into the car Callie calls the sitter to check in while I drive us to a restaurant to get something to eat. After the fifteen minute drive over to our favorite diner, we climb into a booth and look over the menu.

"So what you thinking?"

"I could honestly eat everything. I think I want the club sandwich with soup…and a salad…and French fries. That should do it."

"Anything else?" I ask peaking my eyes over my menu.

"Kind of in the mood for a milkshake."

"Well you have been eating your vegetables at dinner so I guess it's alright." I wink at her. Once our waiter comes off I give her our orders and she collects our menus. "So how's the maid of honor stuff coming along?"

"You know, Addie. She has a list for everything, but she's hired this badass wedding planner who apparently plans weddings for celebrities so she's barely lifted a finger."

"Have you told her that your pregnant?"

"Not yet and she's going to kill me for keeping it from her. I'll do it when I talk to her again."

"Tell her, babe."

"I will. We just got into the second trimester and I'm feeling more comfortable so now I'll tell her. I guess I might as well tell Mark too. I guess we should tell all our friends and family."

"How's the bachelorette party coming along?"

"I haven't even touched that yet. It's going to strange for me cause I'll be nearly five months pregnant. I can't drink and no stripper is going to want to grind on a pregnant lady."

"No stripper is going to want to grind on you cause then they'll have to deal with me." I narrow my eyes at her teasingly. "Knowing Addie she's going to want alcohol, strippers, some kind of game, and probably other stuff."

"I'm thinking we start with a big dinner and then go from there. Whatever she wants I'll do. I just have to make sure she's alive for her actual wedding."

"I'm not big on Valentine's Day, but I think that's a cute day to have a wedding. I'm happy it worked out for her."

"Me too." Our waiter comes back over with our food and drinks and Callie digs right in. "You know I was thinking we get Sof into something. Since dance is over right now, maybe we should get her into something else."

"Like what?" I ask munching on my cheeseburger. "She hasn't mentioned anything."

"Maybe basketball or something. Or what about an instrument?"

"Hmm, not a bad idea. Speaking of Sof. We have a parent teacher conference coming up with her teacher."

"What are they going to tell us that we don't already know. She's a star." Callie boasts. "I know all parents say that, but I really mean it."

"I totally agree, babe, but I'm sure her teacher has more to say than that."

"Does that mean we have one for Noah too?"

"Yep!" I answer as Callie sips her milkshake.

"He's literally the sweetest boy ever. The other day he came into the kitchen and offered to help me sweep up. What four-year-old does that?"

"That's because you always reward him with a cookie if he does." I remind her. Callie is the queen of rewarding our kids after they help around the house and they've caught on.

"Okay, fair point."

"I don't want them to grow up. I like when they're small and cute. I'm not looking forward to the teenage years. I had a teenage girl for a patient last week and she gave her mom so much attitude I couldn't believe it."

"I hope they don't take after me. I was a little rebellious."

"Seriously?" Callie questions raising and eyebrow.

"Oh yeah, especially when Tim was dating. I was jealous he wasn't around so I acted out a little."

"Rebellious Arizona. That's kinda hot, babe. Tell me more." She says wiggling her eyebrows.

"I skipped class to smoke weed my senior year." I admit. "Twice."

"You didn't?!" She gasps exaggeratedly.

"I promise you I did."

"Well now I'm just completely turned on." She playfully flirts. "I didn't know you had that in you."

"Smoking wasn't my thing, I preferred weed brownies."

"Arizona Robbins, you've been keeping this a secret from me. My wife was a weed head in high school."

"Alright, it wasn't that intense, but I definitely sampled. You're telling me you never smoked?"

"I can honestly say I didn't. I was offered, but I turned it down. Alcohol was my thing. It was so accessible."

"So basically our kids can never know about this."

"Exactly." We spend another half an hour in the restaurant before finally returning home.

"Mamaaaaa! I missed you!" Noah greets Callie as soon as we step inside. "I drew for you. Follow me." Noah leads Callie up the stairs and I head into the kitchen where Sofia is snacking.

"Hi Mrs. Torres!" Emma greets me. "How was your day?"

"Good, thanks again for watching them." I pull some cash out my wallet and pass it off to her. "I hope they were good for you."

"I promise I was, mommy!" Sofia happily answers.

"She's right, they were both great. I have some homework to do so I better get going."

"Wow, homework on a Saturday afternoon. Your parents must be proud."

"Well it's the only way they will let me go out tonight. Gotta finish my work first."

"Ahh, I get it. Well thanks again."

"No problem. See ya, Sof."

"Bye Emma!" Sof waves as Emma leaves our home.

"So sweet girl, how was your day?"

"Lots of fun. Emma play dolls with me and help me with my book."

"That sounds fun." My pocket vibrates and rings as my phone alerts me of an incoming call. "Hey, wanna talk to grandma?"

"Yea, yeah!" Sofia reaches for my phone and answers it. "Hi grandma!" I briefly take the phone from her and place it on speaker so I can hear it as well.

"Is that my sweet Sofia? How are you darling?"

"Good! I'm eating a snack!"

"Hi mom." I say inserting me in the conversation. "How are you?"

"Good. Just checking in. How was your day?"

"Eventful." I pick up the phone and take it off speaker. "Sof, go get your mama for me, please?" I quietly ask her. She happily scurries off to find Callie. "Callie and I actually just got in."

"Really, from where?"

"We grabbed something to eat, went shopping, and Callie had a doctor's appointment."

"A doctor's appointment. Oh my gosh, is she okay? What's wrong with her? Arizona, why didn't you tell me she's sick again. I'll come right out there if you need me too."

"She's not sick, she's…." I'm waiting for Callie to come so we can tell her together. "Is dad around. I want him to hear."

"You're scary me sweetheart. DANIEL!" I hear her yell. "Hurry!"

"Sof said you needed me." Callie comes into the kitchen. "What's up?" I hold my hand over the microphone so my mom doesn't hear. "I'm about to tell my parents about the babies."

"Oooh, oooh, put it on speaker. I wanna hear." I put the phone on speaker again. "Hi Barbra."

"Callie, are you alright? I just hate that you're sick." Callie looks at me confused and I just shake my head.

"Mom, I already do you she's not sick."

"Well what is it? Daniel is here too."

"Hi Dad!"

"Hi Arizona, what's going on. Your mother is practically pacing, which is making it hard for me to keep up." I look at Callie and she gives me a confirming nod. "Callie's pregnant!"

"She's what?" My mother asks. I can tell by her voice she's surprised.

"I'm pregnant, Barbra. Your daughter knocked me up." Callie jokes, which earns her a light swat from me.

"DANIEL! CALLIE'S PREGNANT! DID YOU HEAR?!" My mother elatedly yells. "WE'RE GETTING ANOTHER GRANDCHILD!"

"Yes dear, I'm right here. Congratulations you two. This is great news!"

"How far along are you? Boy or girl? You know what this means…. another baby shower! I've got so much planning.

"Almost four months." Callie answer rubbing her stomach. "But there's something else."

"What? Is everything alright?"

"Yeah, it's more than alright. Arizona and I are expecting twins!" The phone goes quiet and I double check to make sure I didn't end the call accidentally. "Uh, hello? Barbra? Daniel?"

"We're here. Your mother is just so excited she can't speak." My dad reveals.

"TWINS! TWO GRANDBABIES! Arizona, what did you do to that her?" Callie giggles and I roll my eyes.

"Hey, it wasn't just me, okay?"

"Oh girls I'm so happy for you! Y'all are great mothers. Those kids are lucky to have you. Sofia and Noah are wonderful already. You're gonna have your hands full with four kids."

"Trust us, we're fully aware." Callie and I are both anxious about how we're going to balance it all.

"I want weekly updates. Do you have an ultrasound picture? The baby shower must be twice as fantastic. I've got shopping to do! This is just fantastic. Best news I heard all week!" I can hear my mother getting emotional. "You two continue to just make me so happy. I love you both."

"We love you too." Callie replies. "You and Daniel are great grandparents. Our kids are so lucky to have you in their lives."

"We wouldn't miss it for anything." My dad answers. "Just continue to raise strong, honorable kids."

"We will, dad."

"Your mother is already making some kind of list, so I guess we'll call you back."

"Sounds about right. Bye dad."

"Bye dear. Take care of Calliope for us. Anything she wants you make sure she gets it."

"I got it."

"Good." My dad hangs up and we share relieved smiles.

"I like your dad's advice. I think I could use a foot massage."

"That I can do. Just wait until tonight. I can think of another massage you'll like."

"I love the sound of that." Callie presses her lips to mine and we share a passionate kiss. "I'm happy we told them. Your mom's reaction was priceless."

"She can be over the top sometimes."

"I love it."

"I love you and these babies" I lean down a kiss her stomach. "I did good, huh?"

"You really did, babe." Just as I go to kiss her again, we look up at the ceiling as we hear a loud crash. "Wait for it…"

"I didn't do it!" Sofia and Noah yell simultaneously.

"Four is going to be a piece of cake, right?" I ask sarcastically.

"Totally." Calliope answers as we head upstairs to investigate.

 **Thanks for reading and thanks to musicforsoul! Thanks again for being patient. I hate I can't update more often, but I'm just super busy right now.**

 **Boys/Girls/Boy and Girl? I'm leaning one way, but I'd any input!**


	29. Chapter 29

I don't own anything…all credit goes to ABC/Shondaland

 **Hope you enjoy!**

Chapter Twenty-Nine

Arizona's POV

 _A few days ago…_

 _Morning like these are my favorite. The four of us cuddled in bed just enjoying being together. The kids are in the middle of our bed watching cartoons on the big screen while Callie is reading something on her iPad. I have a magazine in my lap that I'm lazily reading over while keeping a watchful eye on Sofia and Noah who are both deeply captivated by what's playing on the television. Glancing at my wife, I smile with joy and pride. Her growing belly peaks out between her shirt and pants making its presence known. I love the fact that she's carrying my babies, our babies for us. It's definitely no easy task, and she hasn't complained that much, at least not yet. I'm sure that may change once we get into the later months of the pregnancy, but now has been pretty much smooth sailing._

 _"Mama?" Noah asks sweetly._

 _"Yeah, bud?" Callie replies while keeping her eyes attached to her iPad. "What's up?"_

 _"Why are you getting so big?" Our son innocently inquires. This makes Callie put away her device and sit up. We've been waiting for one of the kids to say something, but so far nothing, until now._

 _"What do you mean?"_

 _"Well your belly is getting bigger." Noah sits up on his knees, faces Callie and pats his hand on her belly._

 _"She's having a baby, Noah. Duh." Sofia sassily answers as if it's the most obvious thing in the world. Callie and I look at each with amused grins._

 _"Sofia is right, Noah. Mama is pregnant. How'd you know, Sof?"_

 _"Cause mama looks like Aunt Teddy and Aunt Teddy is having a baby."_

 _"Makes sense." Callie laughs._

 _"How come the baby gets two beds?" Sofia asks looking between Callie and I. "The guest room has two baby beds."_

 _"Sof, we told you not to in there. It's not safe." Callie scolds. The guest room is in the middle of getting renovated and there are tools and large pieces of furniture laying around everywhere. We told both of them not to go into the room, but clearly our daughter has a mind of her own._

 _"If the baby gets two beds. I want two beds." Noah states emphatically._

 _"The baby doesn't get two beds. I'm having two babies!" Callie answers with a big smile, but Sofia and Noah just give her blank stares. "Mama and I are having twins!"_

 _"You have two babies in you?" Noah asks in disbelief. "Right now?"_

 _"Yes, right now!" My wife answers with a chuckle._

 _"Wow. Two babies. That's a lot." Sofia comments. "Are they boys or girls?"_

 _"We don't know yet, but we'll find out very soon." I'm very anxious to know now and can't wait for our next appointment. "As soon as mama and I find out we'll tell you."_

 _"I want a brother."_

 _"I want a sister." Sofia counters Noah right away. "What about you mama?"_

 _"I just want two healthy babies. That's what's most important to me."_

 _"I still want a brother." Noah says. "Hey, how did you get the babies in there?" Callie eyes go wide as she tries to think of an appropriate answer._

 _"That's a conversation for another time."_

 _"Fine." Satisfied with that answer, Noah and Sof return their attention to the television. I'm sure they'll have more questions later, but they seem pretty content right now._

Present Day

"Okay, well they are both in great position now." Doctor Caplan says moving the wand over my wife's swelling stomach. Callie is right at twenty weeks and we've both been anticipating this appointment. "You ladies ready to find out what you're having?"

"Yes, please!" Callie nearly shrieks with excitement while squeezing my hand. "You know I read that if you have severe morning sickness it means you're having a girl. And I definitely had some rough mornings."

"I'm afraid you're wrong about this one, doc. You two are having…boys!"

"I knew it! I totally knew it!" I cheer. Callie throws me a look to calm down, but I can't hold back my delight. "Aw baby, this is amazing! We're having boys!" I lay a big kiss on Callie's cheek and look at the monitor.

"I guess that means Sofia is our princess of the family." Callie smiles. "I have a feeling she won't have an issue with that."

"I guess it's time to start thinking about names." Doctor Caplan prints off some new pictures for us and I take a towel and begin wiping off the gel on Callie's stomach. "I'll give you all sometime in here. Make sure to make another appointment on the way out." He exits the exam room, leaving my wife and I alone.

"So boys, huh? This is crazy! We're going to have three boys, Calliope!"

"I know! That's wild." Sitting up on the exam table, my wife turns her body towards me and swings her legs over the edge. "I would've never thought I'd have three boys. Let alone four kids."

"I love you guys so much!" With a hand on each side of her belly, I lean down and place two kisses on her stomach, which makes Callie giggle. "You keep baking in there. Your mommies can't wait to meet you."

"Mmm, can I get a kiss too?"

"You, my love, can get all the kisses you want." Callie pulls on the front of my shirt and brings my lips to hers. As the kiss heats up, her legs spread open and I step in closer to her embrace. I bring a hand up to the side of her face and open my mouth as she slips her tongue inside.

"You wanna come to my office?" Callie mumbles against my lips as we both try and catch our breath.

"I don't have time."

"Then I guess we'll just have to do it here." She slyly smirks. Her hands wrap around my waist to the back of my pencil skirt and I pull my zipper down. She pushes the skirt past my hips and it falls to the floor, leaving me in my black, lace underwear. "Now this is what I'm talking about." She runs her hands up and down my thighs, making sure to give my ass a firm squeeze. and pulls me closer. "I promise I'll be quick."

"Babe, I really can't." I reluctantly pull back and pull up my skirt. "I have to pick up the kids from school and I'm already a few minutes late."

"Fine. Let me at least help you zip up your skirt."

"Are you sure this isn't just a ploy to pull my skirt down again?"

"Maybe." She jokes. "I'll be good, just turn around." Turning my back towards her, she zips up my skirt and I turn around to face her again. "You know this raging libido of mine won't last forever."

"I think I have at least two more months before you deny me all together."

"And just think with two crying and very hungry newborns I'm going to be so exhausted. Plus, Sofia and Noah are going to need us too. That means no time for us. We may never have sex again, babe."

"Don't speak such a thing into existence." I wink at her. "It's a good thing I'm with you for your brain then."

"And here I was thinking it was my good looks and charming attitude."

"Ehh, those ain't so bad either." Our flirtatious banter ends and I help her off the exam table and give her another kiss. "See you at home?"

"I'll be there in a few hours."

Twenty minutes later I arrive at the kid's school. I guess the one perk of being a little late to pick them is the shortened carpool line. I only have to wait behind a few cars before I pull up to the front of the building and one of the teachers helps Noah and Sofia into the car.

"Hey guys, how was school?"

"It was awesome, mommy! The whole class made a huge puzzle."

"Yeah? That sounds fun. What about you, Sof?" Looking in my rearview mirror, I notice she just shrugs her shoulders and stares out the window. "You okay, Sofia?" Again, no sound just a shrug of the shoulders.

"Okay, well buckle up. We'll be home in a few minutes." The car ride home is filled with Noah's chatter as Sofia remains silent. Our daughter is one of the most talkative people I've ever met, so clearly something is wrong. Once we get home I set them up with their usual snack, but Sofia went straight up to her room. "Hey Noah, did Sof say anything to you after school today?"

"Nope." He assertively shakes his head as I try and pry some information out of him. This morning when I dropped them off they were both their usual cheerful selves, but something must have happened at school.

"I'm going to go check on you sister. I'll be upstairs if you need me."

"Okay mommy. I hope Sofa feels better."

"Me too, bud. Me too." Walking through the house and upstairs I go straight to Sofia's room. When I open the door, she's on her bed playing with her iPad. "Hey Sof, can we talk?"

"Okay." She softly answers. I join her on the bed and take the device from her hands.

"You seem a little upset, honey. Did something happen at school?" She shakes her head no, but we both know that's not the truth. "You can tell if anything happened."

"I asked Katie if she wanted to come over for a playdate one day and she said no."

"Well maybe she's busy, sweetheart."

"No, her mommy told her she is not allowed at our house." I scrunch my face up in confusion because I've never heard that before. To be honest, I can't even remember who Katie is. Sof has so many friends that I tend to kind of group them all together. "Katie said her mommy said homes with two mommies and two daddies are bad, so she can't come." It's like a punch to my heart when I hear Sofia utter those words. "What's wrong with my two mommies, mommy?" The floodgates burst open and tears coming streaming down her face.

"Nothing sweetheart, nothing at all." I pull her into my lap and give her a big hug as I try to hold my own tears in. I hate seeing any of my kids cry and I especially hate Katie's mother right now. "Your mommy and I love you very much, you know that right?" She nods her head with her face buried in the crook of my neck while I run my hands over her brunette hair. "Katie's mom is wrong."

"I told Katie I have two mommies and a daddy and she said that's weird." Sofia whispers out between sniffles.

"There's nothing weird about it at all. Not everyone has a mommy and a daddy and that's perfectly okay."

"I really want Katie to come over and play. Her mommy is a meanie."

"That she is." I'm thinking I may need to have a few words with Katie's mother very soon. "Listen to me Sof," I make sure to look her right in the eyes. "having two mommies or two daddies is okay. Don't let anyone tell you different, okay?"

"Okay."

"And you're extra special because you've got three parents who love you. Your daddy loves you too so much."

"I know." Sof smiles. "I love you, mama, and daddy."

"Good, and if you want to invite someone else over for a playdate that's fine." I hold her for a few more minutes until her tears subside.

"Okay. Maybe Sasha." I squeeze Sofia one more time before finally releasing her. "Can I play with my iPad again?"

"Yes, but only for twenty minutes." I give Sof her tablet back. I head into my bedroom and go straight to the bathroom to wash my face. I always worry if I'm a good enough mother, I think most mothers go through that. It's something that Callie and I talk about, but I never wanted how I live my life to affect my kids. I'm not naïve to think that there's no more homophobia in the world, but I didn't want that projected on my kids at such a young age. Callie and I have made sure to know teach our kids that our love is okay. We can't shelter them from everything, but we try our hardest. And while they are still too young to understand everything, we've told them that love makes a home and love makes a family. Katie was only telling her what her mother told her, so that's who I have the problem with.

A few hours later as I was preparing dinner in the kitchen, I heard the front door close alerting me of Callie's arrival.

"Arizona?"

"Kitchen, babe." I call out. She walks into the kitchen and drops her bag in a nearby chair. It doesn't take much for me to nice how tired and she. It's practically written all over her face. "How are you?"

"I'm alright." She asks in passing. She lands a quick kiss to my cheek and heads to the pantry. "How was the rest of your day?"

"Interesting..." Walking over to the refrigerator, I pull out the ingredients I need to make a salad.

"Yeah?" Callie says taking a seat at the kitchen island across from me. She opens a brand-new bag of salt and vinegar chips and starts munching away. "Wanna talk about it?"

"Honey, I have chicken in the oven and I'm making a salad. You're going to ruin your appetite."

"I doubt it. I'm eating for three now and the three of us are very hungry. I promise I'll have enough room for your delicious meal." She smiles sweetly as I narrow my eyes at her a take a sip of my wine. "Ooo, let me have a sip."

"No."

"Aw come on, a sip won't hurt."

"I know, but the answer is still no."

"Look," She leans forward and lowers her voice, "I promise to do very dirty things to you later if you let me have a sip." I pretend to think about it before shaking my head and finishing off my glass. "Oh, you're evil." Callie laughs as I pour myself another glass.

"After the conversation I had earlier, trust me I need this."

"What's going on, babe?" She softens her voice to express her concern. "Is everything alright?"

"It was until Sofia was crying in my arms earlier."

"Is she okay?"

"She's better now, but she came home from school upset." I pull out a chopping board from the cabinet and begin cutting some vegetables up. "She wanted her friend Katie to come over for a sleepover, but apparently Katie's mother has a problem with us."

"With us, why? And which one is Katie again?"

"I can't remember, but Katie's mother has an issue with our relationship and she doesn't want her daughter in our home."

"You're kidding me, right?" She scoffs in disbelief.

"I wish I was. Katie told Sof that having two mommies or two daddies is bad and she can't come over. Sof obviously took that very personally and got upset. I've seen Sof cry before, but never like that Calliope. It broke my heart." I can see the fire and rage building within Callie and she's pissed off, just like I was a few hours ago. Luckily, I have wine to calm me down.

"Who the hell does Katie's mom this she is? She can't just say shit like that. Of course her daughter is going to repeat it and believe it. What's the moms name? No, better yet, what's her address? She needs to get her homophobic head out of her ass. Fuck her." She spits out. She runs a hand over her growing stomach, trying to calm herself down. "Sofia, come down here, please!" She yells out.

"Callie, what are you doing?" Putting everything I cut up into a bowl, I dry my hands and walk over to my wife's side. "I already spoke with Sof. I think she's fine now."

"I just have some questions for our daughter. I need to get to the bottom of this."

I don't want Sof to be any more involved than she already is. Just take a breath, please. For the twins." I plead with her. Sofia hops down the stairs, with her pigtails swinging from side to side, and walks into the kitchen.

"Mama, you're home!"

"I am, my beautiful princess." Callie plasters on a big smile and lifts Sofia up to sit on the counter. "Geez, you're getting big."

"Hello babies!" Sof says placing the palm of her hands on Callie's belly. "What's it like in there?"

"Warm and cozy." Callie answers with a chuckle. "So mama told me what happened at school today between you and Katie. Now, do you know Katie's mother's name?"

"Callie…"

"What? It doesn't hurt to ask?" She shrugs her shoulders at me.

"No. I think she just calls her mommy." Sofia answers.

"Do you know her last name?" Callie is trying to pry information out of Sof and it's not working. It is a little amusing watching her trying to get useful information out of a six-year-old.

"No, sorry."

"It's okay." Callie presses a kiss to her forehead. "Do you like Katie? Do you still want her to come over?"

"I dunno."

"Has she ever said anything mean to you before?"

"No. Katie is really nice. We play together on the playground at school."

"Sof, go get your brother and come down for dinner. It's almost ready." I interrupt the interrogation and send our daughter on her way.

"Love you!" Callie calls out as Sofia heads back upstairs. "I'm going to the school tomorrow and talking to the principal. This is unacceptable." She resumes her chip eating. "Katie's mom needs to keep her fucking opinions to herself."

"I know, babe. I was thinking I walk Noah and Sof in tomorrow. Maybe I can get a glimpse of this woman and have some words with her."

"What are you going to say?"

"Essentially what you just said, she needs to keep her fucking opinions to herself."

"We have an awesome house! Any kid would love to come over for a playdate. We have a theater, a little swing set thing outside, and dozens of toys. I mean have you seen all the toys are kids have? And I make really good cookies." Callie proudly brags. "Our house is amazing." She states finishing her cute rant.

"Anything else?"

"Our house is freakin' amazing!" She says one more time for good measure.

"Callie."

"Okay, now I'm done."

"Good." I take the bag of chips from her. "Now help me set the table."

Our dinner conversation was much more light hearted. We're all pretty excited to escape to California soon for Addison's wedding next week. Callie spoke to Mark the other day and he's excited to see Sof. He wasn't invited to the wedding, but he promised to watch Sof for us during the wedding reception and the following day. Maybe we can convince him to keep Noah too. It is Valentine's weekend after all. It's supposed to be romantic and sexy, and while I think the holiday is overrated, Callie's loves it, so I have to come up with something special for her. After dinner, it was the usual bath and story time before bed. While I got changed for bed, Callie took a quick shower.

"You up for it?" Callie steps out of the bathroom with a bottle of lotion. "I think I feel asleep on you the other night, but I promise I'll stay up this time." She laughs.

"Yeah, you better." Nodding my head yes, I take the bottle from her and she joins me on the bed. Scooting to the middle, Callie props a few pillows up and lies back. She lifts her shirt up above her stomach and I straddle her thighs. "How are my boys tonight?" I ask rhetorically. Squirting the lotion in my hands, I rub my hands together and then rub them across her skin slowly. "How's that?"

"So good, babe, So, so good." She closes her eyes as I continue to work my hands over her stomach. Not many words are said as we both enjoy the moment. I never understood why Callie loved touching and caressing my stomach until now. This is the closest I'll get to my boys until they are born and I'm holding them.

"I was thinking we got one of those big balloons filled with blue confetti. We can have the kids pop it to let them know we're having boys."

"That sounds fun! I'm sure they'll enjoy it." There's another silent moment before she speaks up again.

"Arizona." Whenever she just says my name and nothing else, I know she's been thinking.

"Calliope."

"We're doing the right thing, right?" She asks with a bit of nervousness in her voice, which I instantly pick up on. "Us raising these kids and having two more? I mean I don't want them to get picked on because of us."

"No, no, no babe. You can't go down that road. I did before and I got lost in some crazy thoughts. If it's not us, they'll find some other reason to pick on them. It sucks and I hate it, but it's true."

"You're right. I just…I don't know." She answers dejectedly. "Two hours ago, I was all fired up and now I'm all sappy."

"Hmm, kinda sounds like you're pregnant to me." I sarcastically joke. "You guys got mommy on a hormonal rollercoaster." I say in a child-like tone as my hands finish up their lotion adventure. "Okay, I'm pretty much done."

"Thank you." She leans up on her elbows and our lips meet for a kiss. "Love you."

"Love you too." I take my chance and push my hand up higher under her shirt and knead her right breast. "This okay?"

"Definitely okay, Ari." Looking into her eyes, I can see they are darkened and filled with lust. I lean back and pull her shirt off her and push her back onto the mattress. It's hard for me to lay directly on top of her considering the two bundles of joy between us, but that doesn't stop me from loving my wife. I just have to get a little more creative, which I certainly don't mind.

"You just lie back and relax. Let me do all the work."

The following morning, I kept my word from earlier. Instead of just going through the carpool line, I parked the car and walked Noah and Sof inside. After dropping Noah at his classroom, I went with Sofia to hers, but instead of going inside I hovered out in the hallway with Sofia.

"Mommy, can I please go in my class now?"

"Just a second, sweetie." Kneeling down to her eye level, I straighten out her hair and uniform once more. "I want you to have a good day, okay? Pay attention, be nice, and if you know the answer to a question don't be afraid to raise your and hand speak up."

"I know, mommy." Clearly she's getting annoyed with me. I'm starting to think maybe Katie's mom just drops her daughter off in the carpool line like almost every other parent. I check my watch and notice if I don't leave soon I'll be late for work. "Okay, well I'm off."

"Wait, mommy. There's Katie!" She points to a little girl and what I can assume is her mother walking down the hall.

"Thanks Sof, You go ahead and go to class. Love you."

"Love you too." She wraps her arms around my neck before she skips away into her classroom. Standing up, I notice Katie wave goodbye to her mom and watch as the woman begins to leave.

"Excuse me!" I weave my way through some kids and teachers walk up to the mystery woman. "Hi, excuse me." I tap her on the shoulder lightly and she spins around. "Do you have a minute to talk."

"I actually have to get to work."

"So do I. It will only take a minute or two."

"How can I help you?" She smiles back obviously agitated.

"I'm Arizona Torr—"

"I know who you are." She snaps at me, which throws me off a little.

"Um okay, well your daughter Katie is in the same class as my daughter Sofia."

"Uh-huh."

"Okay…well yesterday the two talked about a potential playdate, but your daughter informed my daughter that she wasn't allowed at my house."

"That's correct. I won't send my child anywhere that's not appropriate." She takes a step closer to me and lowers her voice. "Listen, your kid seems nice and so do you, but I won't allow my child near your house. I don't care what you and that other woman do behind closed doors, but I'm not going to subject my kid to that." This lady think she can threaten me, but it's not working one bit.

"Listen I don't know what your deal is, but you need to back off. That other woman is my wife and Sofia's other mom and you will respect both of us. If you want to raise your daughter with a closed mind, that's up to you, but when she starts projecting that onto my daughter is when I have a problem. My wife and I would appreciate it if you didn't discuss our family with your daughter. After all it's none of your damn business. If you have a problem, you come take it up with me."

"Let me guess, you must be the man in the relationship, huh?"

"Clearly, you're misinformed. There are only two women in my relationship, me and my incredibly sexy wife. The only man I feel sorry for is the one who is married to you. Now if you'll excuse me, I have to get to work." I don't give her another look and just walk away. "Fucking bitch." I mutter under my breath.

"…damn, my wife is a badass." Callie comments. I called her during my lunch break to tell her about what happened this morning. "I kinda wish I was there to see it."

"I'm not a fighter, but I could've easily taken her."

"Oh shoot, Addis is calling on the other line. We have some last-minute wedding stuff to talk about. I want to hear the story again when I get home."

"Okay, tell Addison I said hi and I can't wait to see her."

"Will do. Love you." She hangs up and I go back to grading some papers. After a few minutes, Teddy waddles into my classroom with a big bag of food.

"Arizona, please tell me you have something good for lunch?"

"Uh, I have some leftover baked chicken." I hold my up container for her to see and her eyes light up.

"I'll trade you my pasta salad for that."

"Ummm…should I be worried about the pasta salad?"

"No, it's just that Henry learned a new recipe and I ever since I told him I like it, that's all I eat now. I need something else, I can't crush his spirit and tell him I hate his food now."

"Fine, I'll trade." I give up my comfortable chair for her and swap lunches. She's seven months pregnant and shouldn't be sitting in a high school desk. "So what's new with you? How are Callie and the twins?"

"They're good. Had a checkup yesterday. What about you? You're near the finish line now."

"The room is all set up. Henry is getting more and more nervous. My mom came in last night for the baby shower this weekend."

"I picked out your gift weeks ago. I saw it when I went baby shopping with Callie. It's pretty awesome if I may say so myself."

"As long as it's not baseball themed I'll love it. We've got every baby baseball thing you can imagine."

"Aww, that's cute! Also, tell your husband this pasta salad is amazing." I say stuffing another forkful in my mouth.

"Trust me, he'll love to hear that." She playfully rolls her eyes.

"Wanna hear a story about her about how I got into it with a mom and the kids school this morning?"

"Umm, yes please! Next time lead with that." She says eagerly. "I should take some notes in case this happens in a few years with me. Mama bear Arizona seems scary."

"Trust me, you don't want to mess with her."

 **AN: Thanks for reading and to musicforsoul! I also appreciate the suggestions on the last chapter. It was pretty close between 2 boys and one boy and one girl.**

 **Drop a comment if you have baby name suggestions! I have one picked out, but I'll need another and two middle names. Also, any romantic valentine's day ideas you may have for Arizona are helpful too!**

 **Sorry again for the scattered updates. I'm so swamped with work right now. I do have a break coming up so I think the next chapter should come sooner.**


	30. Chapter 30

I don't own anything…all credit goes to ABC/Shondaland

Chapter Thirty!

Callie's POV

"You excited to hang out with daddy?"

"Yep! I got all my stuff packed in here!" Sofia points to her small piece of luggage right behind her as we wait outside of Mark's condo door. "We're going to have so much fun."

"I bet you will." I knock on Mark's door and within seconds I hear footsteps. The door swings open and Mark's huge grin is on display for all to see.

"My girls! Get in here!" He gives me a hug and swiftly picks up Sofia. "How's my princess? You're so big now. What are your mothers feeding you?"

"All the good stuff." I chime in. Mark's place is pretty badass if I must admit. If I were single and living in Los Angeles, this is exactly the kind of spot I would want. Huge floor-to-ceiling glass windows surround the place and give a perfect view of the beach and ocean. He's got a massive flat screen television mounted on the wall in the living area and couches and chairs all the around. The kitchen is open and full of stainless steel appliances. And to my surprise the place is pretty clean, probably because he knew we were coming over, but I appreciate it either way.

"Wow, look at you, Cal. How far along are you, seven months?"

"I wish, more like five months. I look huge cause there are two in there." We all take a seat on the couch and Sofia happily sits in Mark's lap. "I'm going to look huge in my maid of honor dress. And the worst part is the pictures will follow me forever."

"You'll look great, trust me. Where are Noah and Arizona?"

"Back at the hotel. Mommy took Noah swimming." Sof answers.

"Yeah, we just finished up dress rehearsal and since Noah was patient in sitting through the whole thing, Arizona took him to the pool and I came here with Sof."

"Can we go swimming, daddy? I got my bathing suit."

"Of course we. You see that ocean out there, we can swim all day."

"Mark, I don't want her in the ocean. She could easily float away if a big wave comes." I cautiously warn. I know Mark would never let that happen, but it's the maternal instinct in me.

"Cal, I got her. Don't worry. So what's the plan for tomorrow?"

"Right, she needs to be back at the hotel around 10:30. The wedding is at noon. It will be a short ceremony. You can pick her up after an hour later."

"Got it."

"She can come in her pj's in the morning. Her dress and shoes are at the hotel."

"Sounds good. Noah's coming with us tomorrow too, right?"

"Yeah, and thanks so much for that." Arizona asked Mark to look after Noah after the wedding. Apparently she's planning something special for us for Valentine's Day, but won't give me any details. I'm a little suspicious because my wife is not a fan of Valentine's Day and we usually don't celebrate it, but she must have something up her sleeve. "I really appreciate it."

"No worries. I love Noah, he's family. Do you know what you're having yet?"

"Boys." Sofia frowns. Yeah, when she learned the news she wasn't too thrilled. I'm hoping she'll come around to it. "I want a sister."

"Look at it this way, Sof. You're the only girl, that makes you extra special." Mark tries to cheer our daughter up. "Plus, you're the oldest so that has some advantages too."

"Whatever." Sofia continues to pout. Mark gives me a questioning look and I just shake my head. "I gotta go to the bathroom." She hops off Mark's lap and heads to the bathroom.

"It's a touchy subject right now." I confess to Mark.

"I get it. It'll take some time. I bet as soon as they arrive she'll be over the moon. So you got a hot date tomorrow?" He grins with his trademark smile.

"I guess. I have no clue what my wife is up too. I hope it's not too much because after the wedding and the reception I already know I'm going to need a nap or something. It's like one second I have all the energy in the world and the next I'm asleep on the couch."

"Trust me, I remember all the times you fell asleep at my place when we were watching movies when you were pregnant with Sof. Honestly, I never thought I'd see you pregnant again."

"Really? I always said I wanted more kids."

"I know, but I thought after Noah you guys were done. You have that glow, Cal. It's the same one you had with Sof." He says sweetly. "You look good."

"Thanks, Mark. I mean it. I haven't been feeling the best lately and Arizona is always reassuring me that I look fine, but some days I just feel icky and big. I feel like everyone in Los Angeles is small and in fabulous shape and then there's me. All of Addison's bridesmaids are gorgeous and look amazing in their dresses. I look like I have two mini watermelons attached to me..."

"Well in a sense you do…" He quietly injects in the middle of my rant.

"…I also feel sweaty like all the time. Not to mention my wife looks amazing in all her bathing suits. I couldn't even be bothered to try one on. Who knows when will be the next time I wear a bathing suit. I used to look hot in bathing suits…no I just look…blahhh."

"I'm sure you look amazing in any bathing suit you wear, Cal."

"How would you know? You've never seen me in one?"

"True, but I got something better. I got to see you naked." I immediately toss a pillow at his head and we both laugh. "On more than one occasion I might add." I throw another pillow at him for added measure.

"Don't let Arizona hear you. I think she only believes we slept together one time." It's true that when I slept with Mark and got pregnant it was spontaneous, but throughout my pregnancy I had a few itches that desperately needed to be scratched and Mark was there and happily took care of them. We never spoke about them, they just happened and we moved on.

"Hey, that's on you. I'm an open book."

"Yeah, yeah. I know. Somethings are better left unsaid." Sofia comes back from the bathroom with a pep in her step. "Did you wash your hands?"

"Sure did. Daddy, I'm hungry." Sof climbs into his lap again. "Can we get pizza?"

"I've got something better. How about we make a pizza? I've got all the ingredients here?" We move towards the kitchen as he starts taking food from the refrigerator.

"You make homemade pizza now?" I ask impressed.

"I was dating a girl for about three months and she insisted on making pizza. I kinda got the hang of it."

"Huh, well look at you. I'm going to leave you two to it." I grab my purse from the couch and head towards the door. "Give me a hug, little miss." Sofia runs over to me and traps my legs in a hug.

"Bye mama, Bye babies." She pats her little hand on my stomach.

"Tonight is the bachelorette party, so if you need anything call Arizona." I tell Mark as I open the door.

"I've got it all under control. Have fun!" Once I leave Mark's place I take the car service back to the hotel. On the way, I got a text from Arizona saying she and Noah are still at the pool, so that's the first place I head to when I get back to the hotel. Walking along the pool deck I look for my family as other people are sunbathing, playing in the pool, sipping on drinks, and talking amongst each other.

"Callie, honey…over here!" I look in the direction of my wife's voice and see her dressed in short jean shorts and a peach colored bikini top, tucked away in a pool side cabana. "You want something to drink?" She asks when I join her and Noah under the shaded area. "You look like you need some water, let's get you some water." My wife insists. She flags down a server and asks for some glasses of water. "Everything go okay with Sof and Mark?"

"Yeah, she was excited and so was Mark. They should have a good time." Noah, who is quietly munching on a grilled cheese, comes to sit in my lap wrapped in his pool towel. "How did everything go here?"

"We had fun, didn't we Noah?"

"Yep, yep." He confirms, bobbing his head up and down. "I got to do a cannon ball in the pool and made a big splash." The server comes back with our water.

"Can I get you ladies something else?"

"Babe, you want something to eat? Sandwich? Burger? Fruit? You should eat something. You haven't eaten since before the dress rehearsal and that was hours ago."

"I'll take a club sandwich, but instead of French fries can I have chips?"

"Of course. I'll be right back with that."

"Hey, so Aria texted me and she just got here. I told her we were at the pool so she may stop by."

"Aw, it'll be nice to see her."

"I finished my food." Noah says hopping off my lap. "Can I go back into the pool now?"

"In a few minutes, bud. You need to wait a few minutes. You can sit on the edge and put your feet in if you want, but that's it." He flings his towel at me and runs to the pool edge. "Stay right there." Arizona warns so we can keep him in eye distance. "He is a ball of energy today." Pushing her sunglasses up to keep her hair out of her face, she grabs a glass of water.

"He seems like it."

"So everything went smoothly earlier?" She asks giving me a weird look. "With Mark?"

"Uhhh, yeah. Why wouldn't it?"

"Half the time you and Mark get together you guys argue over time with Sofia."

"We don't argue…we have healthy, heated discussions." I laugh. "But no, he didn't ask for anything. Although the weekend isn't over so who knows."

"That's good. It's always nice when everyone can get along."

"Am I sweating? I feel like I'm sweating." I ask paranoid. I grab some napkins and start dabbing my face and arms while fanning out my sun dress.

"Honey, you're fine. Maybe you should lay down on the cushions until your food comes."

"That sounds good." I get up and move from the table to the cushions and lay down.

"I'm going to go sit with Noah." Arizona says walking over to me. "Holler if you need anything. Love you." She leans down and gives me a peck on the lips.

"Love you too." When she turns to walk away I can't help but notice how amazing her ass looks in her shorts.

"Stop staring at my ass, Calliope." She playfully calls out.

"How'd you know?"

"Cause you always are."

"Touché." We spent about another hour at the pool. I ate my late lunch, Arizona played with Noah in the water and Aria stopped by and caught up. She's close with Addison so it's no surprise that she's at the wedding too. We've obviously talked since Christmas, but this is the first time we've seen each other and she looks great. She seems happier and relaxed, which is good considering she's going through her first pregnancy. It's funny, neither of us would've thought we'd be pregnant at the same time and yet here we are. After the pool we split ways, partially because Noah was now tired, worn out, and in much need of a nap, and because I had to begin getting ready for my evening out for Addison's bachelorette party.

"I'm going to go put him down." Arizona carries our passed-out son to his bed while I head into the master suite bathroom to take a shower and freshen up. Once the shower is heated to my liking, I strip out of my sun dress and underwear and step into the shower. The warm water immediately relaxes my muscles and body. I stand under the water for a few minutes before reaching for the shampoo bottle, but just as I'm about to grab it I feel something in my stomach. It takes me by so much surprise that I lean forward and brace myself against the shower glass. At first I'm frightened, but then I quickly realize what it is and stand up straight again.

"Arizona!" I call for my wife, but recognize she may night be able to hear me over the shower, so I open the shower door again and call out for her, "Arizona!"

"Callie?" She bursts through the bathroom door in a hurry. "What's wrong, what is it?" Opening the shower door, she stands there scanning my body and I can tell she's looking for any sign that something might be wrong.

"Take off your shorts and get in here." In a split second her shorts are gone and she joins me in the shower still clothed in her peach bikini. I take her hand and place it on my stomach.

"What's wrong, I don't – oh my god, did they just?" She looks at me with wide eyes.

"Yep." I answer with a big smile. "I just felt them kick for the first time. I've been feeling little flutters, but this time it was bigger."

"Come on boys, kick for mommy one more time." She pleads with our unborn children. It takes a few seconds, but they do kick again and the grin on my wife's face is almost the same as the one when we found out I was expecting. "Those are some strong kicks."

"Trust me, I know." Arizona unties her bikini top and steps out of the bottoms before tossing them out of the shower. "Umm...what are you doing?"

"Isn't it obvious? I'm taking a shower. Pass me the soap, please."

"You can't take a shower with me cause I'll get distracted by all of that," I say motioning my hands in front of her wet, body. "I don't have time for a distraction now because I need to get ready for tonight."

"Then I suggest closing your eyes." She smirks. "Soap, please." I pass her the soap and she begins lathering her body. "Besides, Noah is asleep and it's the perfect time for me to take a shower."

"Fine." I turn around and begin shampooing my hair.

"Seriously, Calliope?"

"No distractions." I state firmly. Any other time I'd be all over my wife, but I'm on a tight schedule tonight.

"Whatever you say." I can't see her, but I can hear in voice that she has a smug grin on her face.

"Arizona!" I yelp when I feel her squeeze my butt cheek. "You're making this harder than it needs to be."

"I am?" She presses the front of her body against my back and wraps her arms around as much as she can. Feeling her naked breasts against my skin sends shivers down my spine, but I don't cave.

"Yes." I turn around in her arms to face her. "You are. But lucky for you, you win."

"Yeah?" She seductively smiles. "Well what do I win?"

"You really wanna know?" I lower my voice to whisper and I can tell she thinks she's about to get lucky.

"Mhmm, tell me."

"You win a shower all to yourself." I happily answer as I step out of her embrace and exit the shower. "Have fun in there!" I grab my towel and hear her groan as I leave the bathroom. Ten minutes later I hear the water shut off just as I'm slipping on my dress. I decided to go with another flowy dress because they are the most comfortable thing to wear outside of my scrubs and yoga pants.

"How was your shower?" Arizona steps out of the bathroom in a white towel wrapped about her body.

"Just fine, thank you very much." Entering the bathroom, I grab my brush and comb and begin styling my hair.

"Hey babe, your phone went off." My wife calls out.

"Can you check it, is it Addison?"

"No, it's from an unsaved number."

"Well what does the message say?" Returning to the en suite, she leans against the wall with my phone in her hand.

"It says, 'Hey, Callie it's Nick. What time are we meeting up later? It should be a fun night! Let me know.'"

"Don't say it like that." I pause my movements and look at her.

"Like what?"

"That tone you read it in. Like you're accusing me of something."

"I'm not accusing you of anything, babe. I'm just very intrigued as to why some random guy named Nick is texting my wife and excited for a fun night." She walks over and passes my phone to me. She's not upset, but rightfully curious. "Care to reply?"

"Nick is Josh's best man. We each have our own plans for tonight, but plan on meeting up later and combining the parties." I resume fixing my hair and begin applying some light make up.

"You guys should have a good time. You look very beautiful, honey."

"Thanks, so do you."

"I'm not even wearing any make up."

"Doesn't make you any less beautiful, babe." I give her a kiss on the cheek and return to the bedroom. It takes close to another fifteen minutes before I'm finally ready. I put on my shoes, double check I have everything in my purse, and grab my phone. "Alright, I'm headed out. What do you and Noah have planned for the evening?"

"I was thinking a mommy-son date. Maybe go to a restaurant near the beach or something. Whatever he wants to do."

"Kiss him goodnight for me. I don't know what time I'll be back."

"Okay, but text me or something. If I hear nothing by three in the morning I'm calling the police."

"I will. See you later." We share a kiss goodbye and then I leave the room. When I reach the lobby of the hotel, I see Addison along with Aria and some of her other girlfriends that I met earlier dressed in short, tight dresses in heels. There's no doubt I stick out as sore thumb in the bunch.

"Our fearless leader is here!" Addie announces loudly. "Where to first?"

"Dinner. I got us reservations at Nobu in Malibu."

"No way! That place is always booked. How did you get us in there?"

"I have connections...and money. Now I know the ride to Malibu from here is about forty-five minutes, but I got us a party bus and it's filled with bottles and bottles of champagne. Hopefully that'll hold you over." The ladies cheer and head outside to the door. Addison hangs back with me and we walk behind the others.

"Thank you for doing this, Callie. I mean it." She loops her arm through mine. "And if at any point you feel tired or need to rest just let me know. The timing of all of this kind of sucks and I know Arizona would kill before I even walked down the aisle if something happened to you. So no passing out or fainting, you hear?"

"I promise. We've been talking about your wedding and bachelorette party for years, I wouldn't miss it for the world. I'm the maid of honor, damnit!"

"Hell yeah, that's the spirit! Now let's get our asses to Malibu!"

* * *

The next morning I'm woken by the sweet sounds of my little boy, "Is mama awake yet?"

"I don't think so. Maybe we should give her a few more minutes." Arizona replies. "Want to watch some morning cartoons?"

"Yeah!" Their voices drown out as they move into another room. I roll over and notice the clock. I have thirty minutes before I need to be in Addison's suite and help her get ready for her big day.

"I hope he didn't wake you?" My wife flops down on the bed next to me. "We just came back from an early breakfast. Do you want room service? I can order you something?"

"That's okay. I think Addie is having some food sent up to her suite for all the girls as we get ready."

"How'd it go last night? You came in around four and went straight to bed."

"I think it was pretty successful. I'm sure my credit card bill will remind me at the end of the month. We went to dinner, went to a club, gave very generous tips to half naked men, opened gifts, then met up with Josh and his friends." I sit up and lean against the headboard. "All in all, a good night."

"That does sound fun. Stay right there." She gets off the bed and digs in her luggage for something and the returns to her spot next to me. "Here. Open this." Taking me completely by surprise, she passes me a box and I open it, only to find another, smaller velvet box inside.

"Arizona, what is this?"

"Just open it, Calliope." She answers with a smile and shoulder nudge. I carefully open the box and a stunning pair of rose gold diamond earrings stare back at me. "Do you like them?"

"I love them!" Setting the earrings down in my lap, I grab her by the face and smash our lips together.

"Wow, I guess diamonds really are a girl's best friends." She laughs as we break apart. "Happy Valentine's Day, Calliope!"

"You didn't have to do this. I mean you hate Valentine's Day."

"Yeah, but you like it so that's all that matters. And I got them in rose gold because they kinda matches your maid of honor dress."

"Now that you mention it, they totally do." I pick up the earrings again and look them over once more. "Thank you." It's like an internal flip switched and my tear ducts open because I just start crying.

"Babe, don't cry." She pulls me into a loving embrace and kisses my forehead. "These are happy tears, right?"

"Mhmm…" I reply with a head nod in between sniffles. "…it's these damn hormones." Noah must've head my cries because he peeps his head into our room.

"Why is mama crying?" He innocently asks with a concerned look on his face. "Is she okay?"

"I'm fine, buddy. Come here." I pat the mattress for him and he happily climbs his way up and snuggles his way between Arizona and me. "I'm just really happy right now, that's all."

"You cry when you're happy?"

"Sometimes, yeah." I wipe away a few tears and try to compose myself again. "You ready for today? You've got a big, important job. You have to walk Aunt Addie's and Uncle Josh's rings down the aisle."

"I know, I know. I got it."

"I'll be standing right next to Aunt Addie and mommy will be in the second row just like we practiced yesterday."

"I pass the rings off and then run over to mommy."

"Exactly. I'll have a seat all ready for ya."

"Then I get to hang out with Mark and Sof, right?"

"Yep, that's the plan."

"Cool. Can I go back to watching cartoons now?"

"Of course you can, but a hug first." I open my arms wide for him and he hugs me at a weird angle because of the growing twins. I place kisses all over his face, much to his dismay.

"Mamaaaa." He whines as he tries to pull away. "Enough with the kisses."

"Fine you little goof, go watch television." I let him go and he hops off the bed and runs back into the television area.

"Your thirty minutes have been cut to fifteen. You should take a quick shower and head down to Addie's room."

* * *

The wedding was nothing short of spectacular. Addison looked absolutely divine in her custom-made Vera Wang dress and Josh looked equally as handsome in his tuxedo. Sofia was the perfect flower girl and took her role very seriously, making sure there were an equal amount of flowers on each side of her as she tossed them down the aisle. Noah didn't make a fuss about his little suit and tie and delivered the rings without any mishap. I could barely contain my smile as I watched my best friend marry the love of her life. We've talked about being in each other's weddings for years and to see it become a reality was very surreal and special. The ceremony was relatively short and soon there were party buses to drive us away to the private reception party. As soon as Sofia and Mark were in the safe care of Mark, Arizona and I hopped on one of the buses with Aria. During the ride over, I was practicing and perfecting my maid-of-honor speech until I had it exactly how I wanted it. I'm actually a good public speaker, I just hate doing it, but for my best friend of course I would do it without any hesitation. The reception was everything I imagined an Addison Forbes Montgomery wedding would be. Over the top with decorations, a live band and a house deejay, expensive plated food dishes along with a row of food trucks parked outside for anyone who wanted something more greasy and casual, and countless bottles of any type of alcohol you could imagine. I would expect nothing less from my best friend. Besides the setting, it was your usual wedding filled with speeches, toasts, dancing, and laughter. After about four hours, the party began to wind down and people were catching buses to take them back to the hotel. We said our goodbyes to Addie and Josh who were probably ready to hop on their private jet and head to the Bahamas for their honeymoon.

"I need to get out of this dress."

"I need to get out of these shoes." Arizona kicks off her heels as soon as went enter our room. "Turn around, let me help." She unzips my dress, letting it fall to the floor. "Better?"

"Much. Thank you." Standing in only my underwear, I make a beeline for the bed and body silently thanks me for laying down. I hear my wife's laugh as she follows me into the bedroom.

"Tired, babe?"

"Just a little." I prop myself up against some pillows and watch as my wife moves around the room and changes from her dress to something more casual. "But I'm more than ready for our special night. What ya got planned?"

"It can wait." She calmly states. "Get some rest."

"No, I don't want to ruin whatever you had set up. I'm up. I promise." Sensing that I don't believe her, she comes over and kneels on the bed next to me.

"Seriously Calliope, you've been on your feet for almost half the day, you need to relax. Our special night isn't ruined. I took the liberty of scheduling in some rest time. Trust me, everything is still on track. I promise. Now close those pretty brown eyes." She places a chaste kiss on my lips and gets off the bed. I'm thankful for having a wife like her, because as much as I didn't want to admit it I could really use an hour or two of sleep.

* * *

"Would you ladies care for anything else?" Our waiter asks us.

"No, I'm okay, Calliope?"

"May I see the dessert menu?"

"Of course. I'll be right back with it." After my nap, Arizona took me nearby restaurant for dinner. We both weren't crazy hungry because we ate a lot at the reception, but we shared a few appetizers.

"Babe, I have dessert waiting back at the hotel."

I narrow my eyes at her, "Is that supposed to be some type of sexual innuendo?"

"Not exactly." She chuckles, "I mean I literally have dessert waiting for us back at the hotel."

"Well I much rather have that then whatever this restaurant is serving." I flag down our waiter and ask for the check instead. Once the bill is paid, we stroll hand in hand down the L.A. sidewalk back to the hotel. "You know, I was thinking that-" I'm literally at a loss for words when I open our room door. There are dozens and dozens of rose pedals on the floor and they lead a path towards the balcony.

"Arizona…when did you-"

"Follow the trail, Calliope." She nudges me forward and I follow the roses through our suite out to the balcony where there's a waiting table with strawberries, pretzels, marshmallows, rice crispy treats, and other snacks next to a chocolate fondue fountain the middle. "So I know you've been having a massive sweet tooth lately, so what's better than a chocolate fountain?"

"Literally nothing." I smile. She pulls out a chair for me to sit in before taking a seat herself. "I don't even know where to start. I take a spear and look over my choices once again, "I think I want a marshmallow…wait no, I should start with a strawberry…wait, no, no…maybe I should start with…"

"No need to rush, babe. You can have it all."

"Thank you, Arizona. I totally wasn't expecting this, but I love it."

"Of course, no need to thank me, honey. I was gonna do something on the beach, but I thought laying on the sand would've been a little uncomfortable for you. Then I remembered that I found what you thought was your secret candy stash in the pantry a few weeks ago."

"So you found that, huh?" A guilty blush covers my face.

"I know that pantry like the back of my hand, of course I found it." She knowingly answers, "And I know you love chocolate, so I came up with this little idea. The people downstairs were more than happy to set this up, all I had to do was get you out of the room for an hour."

"Well now I feel like the worst wife ever because I didn't get you anything for Valentine's Day."

"You know how I feel about the holiday, it's okay. Plus, you had the wedding to worry about. Just being here with you is all I need." As we overlook the L.A. skyline and eat dessert, we talk about baby names, making sure the twins room is all set up, early plans on what kind of camps to get the kids into for the summer, Addison's wedding, just a bunch of random things.

"I think I've had enough chocolate to last me a few months." Arizona says finishing off her glass of water. "It's getting a little chilly out here. Let's watch a movie inside. I'm sure we can find something on on-demand." She excuses herself from the table and walks back into the room. I finish off my water and wipe my mouth of any excess chocolate and follow right behind her, making sure to close the balcony doors.

"I'm just going to change into my pajamas." As she digs through her bags for clothes, I grab her by the wrist and pin her to the nearest wall. Before she can say anything, I attach my lips to hers and instantly moan at the contact. She quickly reciprocates and opens her mouth, allowing my tongue inside. The kiss grows passionate and hotter once she slips her tongue into my mouth and they duel for dominance. Her hands slip under my dress and squeeze my ass, holding me close against her.

"I want you so bad, Ari…I need you, baby." Breaking for air, I pull my dress up and over my head and toss it to the side. "Get naked." I demand. In seconds her clothes fly everywhere, along with my bra and underwear. I guide her towards the bed and she sits on the edge, looking up at me.

"Do you even know how incredibly fucking sexy you are, Calliope?" Her tone is full of lust and desire. I haven't been feeling sexy at all lately, but hearing her say those words makes me fully believe it. Pulling me down to straddle her lap, I wrap my arms around her neck and kiss her again. This time it's slower, like we have all the time in the world, and I can fully enjoy her lips on mine. She slides one hand down between our bodies cups my sex.

"you…are…mine…" She says between kisses. Her fingers slide through my folds, collecting my wetness and my hips start bucking against her.

"Mhmm…yes, Ari…give me more."

"I love it when you get this wet…it's so damn sexy, Calliope." With my hands still around her neck, I pull back to look straight into her eyes.

"It's all for you, Ari. Only you make me feel this way…." I lean forward and whisper in her ear, "…only you make my pussy this wet. I need you inside me." She plunges two fingers deep inside me, making me moan out loudly in pleasure and arch my back.

"Like that, baby? You want it like that?" She pulls out slowly halfway and pushes her fingers in harder into my dripping sex. "Fuck, you feel so good."

"Yes, Ari…yes, yes, yes!" I roll my hips and ride her fingers as her other hand supports my back and holds me up. I kiss her again, but the force of my kiss and weight of my body make her topple backwards on the bed. Without missing a beat, she carefully rolls us over so she's on top.

"You okay?" I nod yes. "Good." She flashes a sexy smile that sends shivers down my spine and moves down my body, making sure to place a pillow under my lower back. "Open up, babe." She taps the inside of my thighs and I spread them wide for her. Usually I can see my wife's head when she's going down on me, but my baby bump is practically blocking my view. She teases me by placing kisses on my inner thighs, getting closer and closer to where I want her, but backing away at the last minute.

"Ari, please just…I need your tongue already." She continues to tease, but instead of backing away, this time she goes all the way and lays her tongue flat against my wet center and runs her tongue through my folds. "Yes, Ari!" I yelp out. Her tongue begins moving around in circular motions, hitting all the right places. Her lips move up towards my clit and she lightly sucks on it, which sends another deep wave of pleasure through me. She pushes two fingers deep inside me again and my hips buck wildly in her face. "Deeper, Ari…Oh fuck yessss!" By body is tingling and I call feel my body getting ready to explode. "Shit babe…I'm about to come – fuckkk that feels amazing." Her tongue and fingers are everywhere all at once and I don't hold back any longer as my walls clamp around her fingers. I come fast and hard and it leaves me breathless. "Jesus fucking Christ…" I mumble to myself as I come down from my high and feel her fingers pull out of me. I feel my wife's magical tongue slowly lap up everything before she finally sits up. She has a satisfied smug grin on her face and she hovers over my body.

"You taste amazing, babe."

"You say that all the time."

"Cause it's true." I pull her in by the neck for a kiss and slide my tongue in her mouth. It's another sloppy, wet kiss that ends with me releasing her bottom lip with a pop. She lies down on her back next to me and we both just stare up at the ceiling. We decide to get under the covers and snuggle close with my head resting just beside her breasts.

"I miss being close to you."

"You are close to me." She replies while running her fingers through my hair.

"No, I mean being able to fully lay on top of you. Or being able to lay on my stomach again."

"You will in a few short months, babe." I draw circles on her stomach and slowly move my hand south. "Calliope, you don't have to…"

"Hey, just because I'm pregnant doesn't mean I can't make you feel good. You just made me feel amazing and sexy and I want to return the favor." My hand continues southward until I'm met with wetness. Turning on my side, my face is met with her breasts and I my lips to one of her pink nipples. I run my tongue over the hardened nub and slowly slide two fingers into. I hear her gasp and pull my head closer to her chest. My fingers set a nice pace inside her as I feel more wetness spill onto my hand. No words are said, just heavy breaths and moans fill the room as I bring my wife to orgasm. Her body jerks and spasms and my fingers stay inside her until she comes down from her peak.

"Was that okay?" I ask releasing her breast and moving up to become face to face with her.

"I just orgasmed, yes it was definitely okay." She smiles.

"Well I just wanted to make sure cause I'm usually able to do more, but considering I'm as big as a house right now…"

"Seriously, babe. Don't you see the goofy look I have on my face? You were perfect, although you clearly claimed your territory." She glances down at her breast where I left a small mark.

"What can I say? I like sucking on your boobs."

"I like it when you do." She quickly counters.

"Good, because I think it's time I give the other equal attention."

* * *

"So how was the wedding?" Mark asks as we wait in the living room while Sofia and Noah finish packing up.

"Amazing." I answer.

"But not as amazing as ours." Arizona places a kiss on my cheek. "How were the kids?"

"Perfect as always. I took them up to Venice and we hung out around there. Ate some really good tacos." He answers. "So you ready, Arizona? You've got two more little additions coming into the house."

"I'm excited. I mean we both are." She replies, placing a hand on my stomach. "I've been doing my reading. Looking up online forums for any advice."

"Callie got you giving her foot massages and going out for late night ice cream runs?"

"Foot massages, yes. Late night ice cream runs, no. At least not yet."

"There's still time, babe." I comment. Sofia and Noah come back into the living with their little rolling suitcases. "Alright kiddos, we got a plane to catch."

"Come here, kiddo." Mark hoists Sofia up for a big hug and a bunch of kisses.

"Daddy, you're going to mess up my hair." She giggles, trying to get lose.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry. I just have to get in all my kisses." She puts her down and picks up Noah next. "Did we have fun, Noah?"

"Tons of fun!"

"Good, that's what I like to hear." He places Noah back and embraces Arizona.

"Thanks again Mark for watching them."

"Hey, it's no biggie at all. I'm happy anytime I get to see my girl and her brother. Bring it in, Cal." He says opening his arms for me. "Take care and tell everyone at the hospital I said hello."

"I will. When I get back I'll call so we can start planning Sof's party. I know it's not for a few months, but we should coordinate something."

"Okay, sounds good."

"I'm gonna be seven, daddy!" Sofia proudly states.

"I know, you're getting so big. Soon you'll be off to prom."

"What's prom?" Sofia and Noah both ask.

"Nothing we need to worry about now. Chop, chop. Let's get a move on. The car is waiting downstairs."

"Text me when you guys land." Mark says opening the door for us.

"I will. Bye."

"Bye daddy!" Sofia waves one last time. We make it to the airport and through the security lines with plenty of time to spare. At our gate, Sofia and Noah sit close to the window to watch all the planes land and take off while Arizona and I sit behind them.

"You know this might be the last trip we take as just the four of us."

"You think?" I ask looking up from my phone.

"Yeah, you're due in the beginning of summer. Right as the kids get out of school. I don't see much vacation time between now and then."

"Huh, you're right. Well I'd say it was a pretty good trip."

"Me too." There's some movement in my stomach and the twins are kicking again. I place Arizona's hand on me so she can feel it too. "I think they agree with me."

"Sof, Noah, come feel this." They run over to us and place their hands on my stomach as well.

"Woahhh." Noah says. "Is that my brothers?"

"Yep! You feel it, Sof?"

"Yeah…can they come out already?"

"Soon, Sof. Real soon."

 **Thanks for reading**

 **AN: Thank you, thank you for the baby name suggestions. Feel free to leave some more. I probably won't reveal the names until the twins are born. Also, expect a little time jump in the next chapter.**


	31. Chapter 31

**I don't own anything…all credit goes to ABC/Shondaland**

 **Chapter Thirty-One**

 **Hope you enjoy!**

Arizona's POV

"You sit tight. I'll be right over." I place the car in park, turn it off, grab my purse, and open my door.

"Arizona, I can—" Before my beautiful wife can finish her sentence, I shut my car door and walk around to her side. At seven and a half months pregnant, it's becoming harder for her to move around and maneuver herself and I'm not taking any chances. "I was going to say I can get out of the car myself." She resumes her sentence when I open her passenger door and hold my hand out her for.

"I know, but there's a big step from the car to the ground. Come on, let me help ya." Callie grips onto my hand and we smoothly transition her from the car. "See, that was easy." I slam her door shut and lace our fingers together.

"Hence why I said I could do it myself." She says giving me a little hip nudge. It's kind of cute watching her waddle around. Although I did have a lapse in judgement when I mentioned she looked like a penguin. It was a complete joke, but she didn't find it funny and gave me the silent treatment for two hours. That message was definitely received. "But I love you for taking extra good care of me." She brings our joined hands up and kisses the back of my hand. "I'm ready to eat!"

"Me too." My birthday was just a few days ago, but tonight we are celebrating. During the week it's a little hectic in our house, so Callie prepared a family dinner for us and the kids sang happy birthday to me before eating themselves into a sugar coma with my birthday cake. Family and cake is all I ever need for my birthday, but Callie being the person she is made special birthday reservations for me at one of my favorite restaurants. Now, with the kids in the safe care of our babysitter at home, we are officially on birthday date night.

"You can definitely tell it's a Friday night." Callie mentions once we step inside the restaurant. The place is filled with lively chatter and nearly every table is taken. "Good thing I made reservations."

"Hello! Dinner for two?" The hostess greets us. "Right now, it's looking to be about a twenty to twenty-five minute wait."

"We actually have reservations under the name Torres." Callie responds. The young hostess looks over some chart in her hand and smiles.

"Of course, your table is waiting. Follow me." Following the young lady, we weave our way through the tables, servers, and waiters until we get to the back of the restaurant. It's still crowded, but the ambiance is a little darker. On the plus side, it's quieter and I can actually hear myself talk. "Here you are ladies." We slide ourselves into the half circle booth and get situated. "Your waiter will be right with you. Enjoy." She hands us our menus before walking away.

"Thanks for bringing me here, Calliope. You know I love this place."

"Anything for you, babe. You know that." She places a loving kiss on my cheek before refocusing her attention on the menu. "What are you going to drink? They have a great red wine here."

"Yes they do, I remember. You don't mind if I have a glass, do you?"

"Pshh, go crazy. It's your birthday dinner. Have two glasses, I can always drive home."

"No, no. One glass is enough."

"Is it weird if I get chicken at a steakhouse? Or maybe I should get ribs?" Callie is nearly salivating at the menu options. "Hmm, maybe lobster."

"Get whatever you want, honey. What are my boys in the mood for?" I ask placing a hand on her stomach.

"They are in the mood for whatever I want." She chuckles.

"Good evening, ladies. My name is Amber and I'll be your server tonight. Can I start you off with something to drink?"

"Yes, I'll just have a glass of water and my wife will have a glass of your Rutherford Hill Napa Valley merlot." Callie responds.

"Great selection. I'll be right back with your drinks."

"So, I know I already told you, but I just want to say again you did a fantastic job with the twin's room. It's like baby heaven in there." Just a few days ago I put the finishing touches on the boy's room, as well as turn my office into the new guest room. It's been my side job for the past couple of weeks and to have it be complete is a wonderful feeling. I beginning to think I have a thing for interior decorating. "I don't think I could've done half the job you did."

"Thank you. It was a fun project."

"Seriously though, amazing. From the lilac covered walls, to the cribs and changing tables, the two glider and rocker chairs, the dresser, the baby friendly wall decorations, the nightstands and bookshelf, everything just came together perfectly and I couldn't be more proud."

"Now all we have to do is bring home our boys."

"They are going to love it."

"Are we ready to order?" Amber asks as she places our drinks in front of us.

"We sure are. Arizona?"

"Yeah, I'll have the ten-ounce filet mignon, cooked medium rare please with a baked potato on the side"

"And for you?" Amber turns her direction towards my wife.

"Yes, I'll take the baby back ribs, a side of creamed spinach, French fries and your Brussel sprouts."

"Is that a half rack or ribs or full rack?"

"Full rack." My wife says without any hesitation. "Thanks." We both hand our menus to Amber.

"I'll go put those orders in right away."

"Sorry, I'm really hungry." Callie gives me an apologetic look. "At least I'll have left overs for tomorrow."

"You don't have to apologize, babe. I'm eating for one. You're eating for three."

"I know, but I just feel so big and blah. And I can't stop eating. I feel like I'm always eating something." Over the last month and a half I've noticed Callie become insecure about her weight and size. I tell her all the time that she's stunning and beautiful, but she just dismisses it off. At our last check up, doctor Caplan informed us that she gained thirty-five pounds so far, which is completely normal for being pregnant with twins, but Callie wasn't too thrilled to hear that. On the way home from the checkup, she was extremely quiet and later that night in bed she broke down crying. Now she hardly looks at herself in the mirror and as soon as she comes home from work she changes into some big t-shirt and sweatpants and completely covers up. We used to take weekly pictures of her progress, but that's stopped because doesn't want to be photographed. I remember I had a few days like that, but with her it's different. I am worried about what it's doing to her confidence, but for now I'm keeping quiet. I just try to be as supportive and loving as possible.

"Is that a new dress?" I ask changing the subject. "I don't think I've seen it before."

"I got it yesterday." She smiles. "I didn't think it would be appropriate to wear sweatpants here."

"You might have a point there. Where'd you get it?"

"From the maternity store I got all my other stuff from. Their selection of clothing is nice."

"I can tell…" I give her a peck on the lips and lean in towards her ear, "…and you look very sexy."

"No I don't." She shakes her head and takes a sip of her water.

"You most certainly do, babe."

"No, I really don't." She says more assertively. "I don't look that way and I definitely don't feel that way. I'm big and gross."

"Callie, please don't say that."

"It's true."

"It's not true, Calliope!" I raise my voice unexpectedly, which startles my wife a little considering our surroundings. I take a deep breath and collect myself. "I'm not going listen to you call yourself names. I hate hearing you talk about yourself like that."

"Whatever, Arizona." She mutters quietly. We both take sips of our drinks and sit in silence.

"Your food will be out in just a few minutes." Amber says stopping by our table briefly.

"Thank you." Callie plasters on a smile for our waiting before relaxing her face the moment she leaves. "Arizona, this isn't how I wanted your birthday dinner to go. I'm sorry."

"I'm fine, Calliope."

"Arizona, you're upset."

"I'm not." I'm hurt, but not upset. It's not worth having another conversation about it now. "Look, every year since we've been together I've asked for the same thing for my birthday. To have a family dinner, eat cake, and be with you. I got all of that and more. I'm seriously okay, Calliope. Let's just enjoy the rest of the night, okay?"

"Yeah, that sounds good." The rest of the dinner goes smoothly. Our food was amazing, we ended up reminiscing about the early days of our relationship, and of course we talked about our kids. As much as we try to limit kid talk on our date nights, it's almost inevitable.

* * *

"I'm going to go check on the kids." Callie mentions once we return home.

"Okay, I'll meet you upstairs." Checking in with the sitter, I pay her and relieve her of her duties. I make sure the bottom floor of the house is relatively clean and head upstairs to get ready for bed. Making my way down the hall, I notice the light on in the twin's room. I look inside to see Callie standing in front of one of the cribs.

"Callie? You alright?"

"Yeah, just thinking." She replies. Walking up behind her, I wrap my arms around her and rest them on her stomach.

"What are you thinking about?"

"Adoption."

"Adoption?" That's one word I didn't expect to hear right now.

"Yeah. Technically the kids are biologically yours. I'm going to have to adopt them like I did with Noah."

"Callie, you don't need to be thinking or worrying about that now. We can deal with that later."

"Do you ever think about what they will look like?"

"All the time." I confess. "I wonder if they'll get my blue eyes or have brown ones like you. Or what color hair they will have. I think about it all the time."

"Me too." Turning around in my embrace to face me, I can tell by her facial expression she's thinking about something.

"What's going on in that brain of yours, Calliope?"

"Nothing in particular."

"You sure?"

Nodding her head yes, "I promise." She grins and places a kiss on my lips.

"If you say so." I narrow my eyes at her, but she doesn't budge so I drop it. "Thanks for dinner. It was the perfect end to my birthday week."

"Good, I'm glad." She places another kiss on my lips and this time decide to control the kiss. I bring a hand up to the side of her face and deepen the kiss. It's a slow, passionate kiss that ignites a fire inside me. With each passing second my arousal heightens and I desperately want to feel more of my wife. I use my other hand to push up her dress and trail my fingers over her soft skin. I run my hand up her thigh and slide it back to her ass, but my luck runs out there.

"I'm actually going to get ready for bed." She pushes my hand away and creates some space between us.

"Okay." I politely shake my head and accept that tonight will be like all the other nights.

"I'm just…I'm just not in the mood, honey."

"It's okay, Calliope. Let's go to bed." I take her by the hand and we exit the twins room. We haven't been intimate since the weekend of Addison's wedding. Do I miss sex? Of course, and I've tried to initiate it a few times, but each time Callie denies it and we move on. It's gotten to a point where she doesn't even let me see her somewhat naked. Those nights I used to rub lotion on her have stopped and depending on her mood, she won't even allow me in the bathroom when she's in the shower.

After changing into pajamas and getting into bed, Callie clicks on the television.

"Anything special you want to watch?"

"Whatever you want." Normally, I'd be snuggled up to my wife, but ever since she got one of those body pillows to help her sleep there's been a barrier between us. "Actually, I can think of something, but it's not on the television."

"Umm…okay."

"Can we just lose the body pillow for one night? I'd like to actually hold you again."

"It helps me sleep and it's very comfortable." She responds without even looking at me.

"So that's a no?"

"Arizona…I just—not tonight okay?" She answers sympathetically.

"Well can I at least kiss my kids goodnight, or is that asking too much?" The words come out faster and harsher than I expected the moment we lock eyes I see the hurt in hers. "I didn't mean it like that."

"Oh, I most definitely think you did. Of course you can kiss them goodnight, Arizona." She says very diplomatically and calmly. Sitting up against the headboard, my wife looks at me waiting. "Well…"

"Callie, I'm sorry." She doesn't say anything, which is honestly more scary then her actually saying something.

"I think mommy wants to say something to you guys." Callie says in a passive aggressive baby voice while rubbing her stomach.

"Goodnight sweet boys." I place two kisses on her belly bump, like I do every night. "Mommy loves you."

"Baby, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to snap at you."

"I'll be back." She takes the covers off her and gets out of bed.

"Do you need something?" I say mimicking her actions and getting up. "I'll get it."

"Don't follow me, Arizona." She says sharply. "Just stay in bed." As I watch her walk out of our room I desperately want to follow her, but I also don't want to irritate her anymore so I stay put. Thirty minutes she returns to the bedroom and without saying a word she gets back in bed and goes to sleep.

* * *

"Hot eggs comin' at ya!"

"Eggs! Eggs! Eggs! Eggs!" Sofia and Noah gleefully cheer at the breakfast counter. Serving up their plates, I put the dirty pan in the sink and open the fridge.

"What are you two goofballs drinking this morning?"

"I want chocolate milk!" Noah bangs his cup on the counter.

"I want orange juice!" Sofia answers banging her cup too.

"I didn't hear anyone say please." Callie casually mentions walking into the kitchen. "And we don't bang our cups to get attention."

"Sorry mama." Noah replies.

"It's okay, buddy. Just remember for next time." Callie kisses the top of his head and Sofia's and takes a seat at the counter. "Mama, you want some eggs?"

"Yeah, or if you want something else I can fix that too?" I tell my wife. "Wait, you're dressed in your scrubs. I thought you were off?"

"I just need to go in and check on some patients. No more than three hours. While I'm gone I want you two to think about what we're going to do when I get back."

"Can we go to the park?"

"Sounds like a fabulous idea to me, Noah. Park it is! I'll be back soon. So make sure you eat up."

"Eggs! Eggs! Eggs! Eggs!" They both cheer again.

"You guys are so silly." Callie gives each of them a kiss goodbye. "I'll see you later, okay?" Kissing me on the cheek, she grabs a bottle of water from the fridge.

"Okay. We gonna talk about last night?"

"There's nothing to talk about." She softly answers.

"Well I think there is."

"And I think there isn't. Not everything has to be discussed. I gotta go. Love you."

"Love you too. Call me if your schedule changes."

"I will. I might pick up lunch on the way back, maybe we can make it a picnic lunch at the park."

"Sounds good, I like that."

"Be good for mommy." My wife says grabbing her purse and keys. "She's in charge."

"I'm in charge!" Noah says puffing his little chest out.

"You wish you were little mister." Callie winks at him on her way out.

* * *

Noah wasn't the only to one to suggest going to the park, cause there are at least a dozen other families here. Thankfully, I was about to secure a picnic table for us. I watch as Sofia and Noah run around on and play on all the park equipment. I have to say, they get along really well and almost always play together, it kind of reminds me of how Tim and I were as young siblings. The only thing that draws my attention away from them is the familiar voice of my wife walking towards us. She's carrying a big paper bag, probably our lunch, and talking on the phone. She gives me a head nod and little wave once she acknowledges me.

"Sofia, Noah, mama is here. Come eat lunch!" I wave them over, but get two negative head shakes in return.

"Ten more minutes, mommy! Please!" Sofia begs.

"Ten minutes and then we're eating. Got it?"

"Got it!" Noah gives me a thumbs up before he and Sofia run up a small ladder and wait in line behind some other kids for the slide.

"I gotta go, but make sure you send me a picture, okay? Good, thanks. Bye." Callie hangs up her phone just as she reaches the table. "It looks like Sof and Noah are having a good time." She waving to them at the jungle gym.

"They are. They've been running around like crazy. What did you get?" I take the food bag from her and begin unpacking it.

"Funny thing is I couldn't decide, so I got a bunch of different options. A couple salads, a few sandwiches, some chips, and they had a new seasonal pasta salad that I wanted to try."

"Well it all looks delicious. How was the hospital?"

"It was…" Letting out a big sigh, she comes over to my side of the picnic table and sits down, "…so I did something today."

"What do you mean you did something?"

"Nothing bad, but the reason why I went in today was to check up on my patients for the final time."

"The final time? Callie, don't tell me you quit. You love your job, it makes you so happy!"

"No, no, I didn't quit, babe. I spoke with the Chief and I'm officially on maternity leave." She says with a big smile, probably the biggest smile I've seen from here in a few weeks. "I was scheduled to leave in two weeks anyway, but we hired my temporary replacement last week and honestly I could use the extra time off. Standing in the OR watching Wilson or some other doctor do surgeries was fun, but I hated being on my feet all those hours and doing office paper work left me bored out of my mind. Plus, I wanted to spend as much time as I could with the kids before the twins arrive. Now I'll have time to pick them up from school, hang out with them more, make dinner so you don't have to every night."

"You know I don't mind."

"I know you don't, but it'll be nice to help out more. The Chief was more than understanding and I think this will be good for me. For us."

"Well I'm certainly not going to argue. You know I love it when your home more and don't have to spend ten plus hours at the hospital. The kids will love the extra time and so will I." I place my hands on her thighs and lean in for me a kiss. "And you're completely sure about this?"

"One hundred percent." She replies. "Oh well look who it is. Thing 1 and Thing 2." Callie jokes as the kids run over to us.

"Hands out." I give them each a hand wipe to use before the begin eating. "Okay, who wants a sandwich?"

"Me!" Noah shoots his hand up and crawls into Callie's lap. "I want a turkey sandwich, mama."

"Coming right up, what do you want, Sof?"

"Did you get a hammie?"

"Of course I got a hammie, it's your favorite, right?"

"Yep." Once the kids get settled with their food. Callie begins to eat her pasta salad and I opt for a salad. We eat for about twenty minutes before they go run off to play again.

"So on my way over here I was talking with Aria. She had another baby checkup today."

"That's good, how did it go?" We continue to clean up the mess from lunch. "Did she find out what she's having?"

"Yep, A little girl!"

"Aww, that's wonderful! Sof will love to have another girl in the family. I'm sure she and Logan are happy."

"They are and you'll never believe who came with Aria and Logan to the sonogram appointment."

"Your dad?"

"My mom." She says annoyed. "The same mom who believes our relationship is toxic and having kids before marriage is a sin that will send me straight to hell. Apparently, she's just over the moon about Aria's baby news." Rolling her eyes, she can't help but laugh at the situation.

"That woman is just unbelievable. I hate how she treats you, I really do." I'm getting frustrated just hearing about it. I tried to be respectful of Callie's mother because after all it is her mom, but she just been mean and rude to our family.

"According to Aria she's evolving."

"Evolving?" I snort. "What does that even mean?"

"I don't know, but she asked about the twins and said she wishes nothing but happiness for us."

"I'm sorry, babe, but that's total BS."

"I know. I'm happy for Aria that my mother is supportive of her of course my dad is thrilled as usual, but it's just another reminder of how hypocritical and annoying my mother can be."

"It's her loss. I mean look how cute our kids are." I point to the swing set where Sofia is trying with all her power to push Noah, but isn't having much success. "If that isn't the most adorable thing ever." I whip my phone out from my pocket and take a quick picture.

"You're right, it is pretty cute." Callie surprises me by wrapping her arms around my waist and resting her chin on my shoulder. "But also a little sad. I think I should go help Sof out before she gets hurt."

"Mmm, you're right, still kind of cute though."

"I'll go help her out."

"I gotta say, I think I'm going to miss you in those navy scrubs…" I comment as she walks away, "…you look really s—"

"Arizona, don't say it." She looks back at me with narrow glaring eyes.

"What? I was gonna say smart! You look really smart."

"Yeah, yeah, nice save."

 **Thanks for reading!**


	32. Chapter 32

I don't own anything…all credit goes to ABC/Shondaland

Chapter Thirty-Two

 **Hope you enjoy!**

Callie's POV

"Mama, how do you spell bicycle?" It's another normal night in the Torres household. Sofia is sitting at the counter doing her homework while I fix dinner in the kitchen, and Noah is in the living room watching television and playing Legos. Ever since I took my time off from the hospital a few weeks ago, the kids and I have settled into a nightly routine. Arizona has been staying a little longer at work because the school year is almost and she has lots of papers to grade and submit for final grades. Tonight, she'll be home even later she's picking up her mother from the airport on the way home.

"Try sounding it out, Sof." Last time my clever daughter asked me who to spell about a dozen words. I thought she was simply curious, but instead she tricked me into completing her spelling homework for her. "I'll give you a hint, the first two letters are B-I"

"And what comes after I?"

"Sof…"

"Okay, okay. I'll sound it out." The sound of the front door opening grabs Sofia's attention and she hops down from her seat and runs towards the front door, followed by her brother who yells "Grandma!" I quickly throw the last of the ingredients in the salad bowl and wash my hands.

"Hey, babe." Arizona walks into the kitchen and drops her purse on the counter. "It smells wonderful in here." Drying my hands with a towel, my wife comes and drops a kiss on my lips while giving my belly a good rub. "What's on the menu tonight?"

"We have stuffed shells in the top over, garlic bread in the bottom over and I just finished the salad. Where's your mom?"

"The kids attacked her at the door." She answers. "What did you do today?"

"Dropped the kids off at school, came back home and did some cleaning and made sure the guest room was all set up for your mom, called the bakery and finalized Sof's birthday cake, started putting together the goodie bags for her party, ate lunch, took a nap, picked the kids up from school, got groceries for dinner then came home."

"Sounds pretty eventful." She comments, tossing a cherry tomato in her mouth. Barbara finally makes her way into the kitchen and immediately opens her arms wide to take me in a hug.

"Callie! How are you dear? Look at you! You're getting bigger and bigg—". Arizona clears her throat and shakes her head in the direction of her mom, basically warning her. "Um, I mean, you look great!"

"Thanks, Barbara. How was your flight?"

"It was great! I sat next to this wonderful young lady, we talked almost the entire time. I even told her about Sofia's birthday party coming up."

"Did you bring my gifts?" Sofia politely asks.

"Sofia!" Arizona and I yell in unison.

"What? I asked nicely." Our daughter answers with a shoulder shrug. "Grandma, can you help me with my homework?"

"You know what, Sof? How about you show grandma our new guest room, okay?"

"Okay. Follow me, grandma!" Sofia cheers as she exits the kitchen.

"The other day I heard Sofia asking Siri on her iPad how to spell words. She's like a little genius." Arizona tells me. "She's too smart for her own good."

"Mm, that she is." I say pecking my wife's lips once more. "Food's almost done, help me set the table?"

"Of course."

After dinner, Arizona cleaned up the kitchen while I gave Sofia a bath and Barbara helped Noah with his. After that, they both wanted their grandmother to read them bedtime stories and she happily obliged, giving my wife and I a little break.

"So my dad and brother are coming in two days." Arizona fluffs her pillows and slides into bed. "When is Aria coming in town?"

"I texted with her today. She's coming in two days too along with my dad. Same with Mark."

"You ready to have a house full of grown adults and a bunch of six and seven year olds?"

"I'm not thrilled about it given the whole eight and a half months pregnant thing, but it's Sof's party, so I'll just have to deal." Reaching into my nightstand drawer, I pull out a bottle of lotion and hand it to my wife. "I think I'm up for it tonight."

"Really?" She asks intrigued. "It's been a while."

"I know…I mean unless you don't want to I understand." I try and grab the bottle back, but she swats my hand away.

"Of course I want to, I just want to make sure you're okay with it."

"I am. At least for tonight. Climb aboard." I pat my thighs and Arizona carefully straddles them. She puts some lotion in her palms and rubs her hands together as I lift up my night shirt. As soon as she places her hands on me my body relaxes into her touch. I have to admit, I do kind of miss having her hands on me.

"Good?"

"Mmmm, yeah. So, so good." I close my eyes and let the feeling of her hands consume me.

"I'm kinda jealous, babe. Your skin is virtually clear. Noah gave be a bunch of stretch mark."

"That's cause you're not looking in the right places. I have some on my thighs and on my sides. Lucky for you, yours eventually went away. I doubt I'll have that luck."

"I bet you will." She leans forward and places a soft kiss on my lips. "I think the boys are sleep. I don't feel them moving around much."

"Oh trust me, at lunch they let it be known that they enjoyed my turkey sandwich. They were moving all around earlier." Arizona continues to rub her soft hands around my belly. "Hey, so I wanna apologize for not being very forthcoming."

"What do you mean?" Arizona raises an eyebrow at me in confusion. "Also, you don't have to apologize for anything while you're pregnant. It's like a free pass." She grins.

"Well that's not entirely true, but I understand what you mean. I'm talking about the intimate and sexual side of things. I was thinking about it earlier and we haven't really done much since Valentine's Day weekend. That was February, it's May now. Basically, three months."

"Three months isn't long." She tries to convince herself, but I can see right through it.

"Arizona, come on…"

"Okay, you're right it's long, especially for us…" We both let out big laughs, "…but I'm not complaining."

"I know and you've been great. It's not that I don't miss you or miss being with you cause I really do. I mean _really_ do. I just haven't been feeling that good about myself and at this point I can't even maneuver myself to do much."

"Honey, it's really okay." She passes me the bottle of lotion and I put it away. "All done."

"Thanks."

"Sure thing…I do, uh, I do have a confession though."

"Okay…go for it." I can sense that she's nervous because she's playing with the hem of her pajama shirt instead of looking at me. "Arizona?"

"Last week, I…you know." She finally finds my eyes and cracks a little smile. "In the shower I did some self-pleasuring." My wife confesses.

"Oh—OH. Wow, I see." I reply admittedly surprised. "Well I mean that's understandable. I haven't been giving you much to work with."

"No, no, it's not about you at all. It's me, all me." She rapidly replies. "I don't know, I just became super horny and I needed some relief, ya know? And I was already in the shower so I just handled it myself."

"Got it. You don't have to explain yourself to me."

"I was thinking about you the whole time." Lowering her voice, she leans in closer.

"You were?"

"One hundred percent. You have that red bikini that I love so much. I love it when you wear it because you look amazing in it, but I also love when I get to take it off you."

"I know that one you're talking about."

"Uh huh…" She seductively mumbles. "…I closed my eyes and pictured you wearing that in front of me. It was just the two of us. You had just got out of the pool and your body was dripping wet. You walked over to where I was sitting and said you wanted to tan, but without getting tan lines, so you reached a hand around your back and untied your top and it fell to the ground. By this point I'm already very wet." It's not often I hear my wife talk like this, especially when we're not in the heat of things, but I'm getting turned on just listening to her. "Then you started massaging your own tits, I mean, boobs."

"Babe, you're allowed to say tits." I chuckle.

"I know, but sometimes it can sound vulgar."

"It's not vulgar coming from you, but carry on."

"So yeah, you were massaging your tits right in front of me and it was driving me wild. I got up and walked towards you. We shared this look and then you simply said, 'touch me' and then I slid my hand in the front of your bikini bottoms and well you can imagine the rest. It was the hottest thing ever, Callie. There I was, in the shower, touching myself while fantasizing about touching you. I came super fast."

"Well that was a hot little fantasy. I kinda wish I was there for it."

"Next time, babe." She gives me a final kiss before getting off me and returning to her side of the bed.

"So how are Teddy and the new baby?"

"We talked briefly through text, all is well. Hopefully I'll get a chance to make it over to her house and visit them. She said Henry has gone into super dad mode."

"Not surprising." As Arizona scrolls through the channel options on the television, a soft knock comes through our door. "Come in!" I answer after making sure my wife and I are both decent.

"Mama, I changed my mind." Sofia says coming through the door.

"About what, sweetheart?" Our daughter climbs onto our bed and snuggles herself between my wife and me. "What's going on?"

"I think I want a strawberry cake for my party." Arizona and I exchange an amused look. "We can still change it, right?"

"Sof, I asked you this morning on the way to school what kind of cake you wanted and you said vanilla three times. I already called the bakery and confirmed everything."

"But I want strawberry!"

"Whining isn't going to get you anything, Sof." Arizona warns. "If you said vanilla then you're getting vanilla."

"But I had vanilla last year, mommy."

"And remember how amazing and awesome it tasted! You'll be fine, Sof."

"Fine." She crawls off the bed and stomps her way back to her room.

"You know I can change the cake order tomorrow."

"Oh I know, but it's the principle, Calliope. She made a decision and has to stick with it. It took her forever just to decide on a party theme."

"Fair enough. I'm sleepy, babe. I'm gonna turn in. Goodnight, love you." Turning on my side, I pull the covers up to my neck and close my eyes.

"Love you, too." She comes over and places a kiss on my cheek and rubs my stomach one last time.

* * *

Coming out of the bathroom and returning to my side of the bed, I check my phone and notice it's 3:12 in the morning. I've been tossing and turning for the past thirty minutes trying to find a comfortable position. I thought going to the bathroom might relieve the pressure I've been feeling, but it didn't help much.

"You okay?" Arizona mumbles sleepily.

"Uh yeah…I think." I reply with a bit of concern in my voice. My wife easily picked up on it and turns to face me.

"Callie, what's wrong?" She asks placing a calming hand on my stomach. "Are you in any pain?"

"No, not really, but there's pressure on my lower abdomen. I tried switching positions, but it's still there."

"How long?"

"Thirty minutes."

"Thirty minutes!" She says a little too loud for my liking. "Sorry, thirty minutes?" She repeats in a hushed tone. "Why didn't you say anything?"

"Cause I thought it would go away." I shyly answer.

"And has it?"

"No." I reply sheepishly. "I mean it doesn't feel like contractions, but it's super uncomfortable."

"Okay, we're going to the hospital." My wife whips the covers off her body and gets out of bed. "You stay there. I'm going to tell my mom that we're leaving and to just listen out for the kids."

"Arizona, I think—"

"Callie, this really isn't up for discussion. Obviously, whatever you're feeling is effecting you enough that you can't even sleep. So let's just to go the hospital. Maybe it's just Braxton hicks, but I rather be safe than sorry, okay?" She pulls off her pajama shirt and puts on a sports bra and a regular t-shirt before also changing into some yoga pants. "I know you probably think I'm overreacting…" Kudos to my wife for being able to read my mind. "…but if the situation were reversed I think you'd do the same thing." After throwing her hair up in a messy bun, she comes to my side of the bed and sits next to me. "It may be nothing, Callie or it may be something. Either way we should know."

"I agree."

"Okay, so I'm just going to go tell my mom and then we'll leave."

"I love you, Arizona."

"I love you, too Calliope. I promise everything is going to be okay."

* * *

Arizona's POV

We arrived at the hospital twenty minutes ago and were escorted up to a room in the maternity ward. The doctor on call checked on Callie and ruled out Braxton hicks, but insisted on running a few tests to determine what exactly was going on.

"Honey, can you stop the pacing. It's driving me nuts."

"Sorry." Offering my wife a weak smile, I walk up next to her hospital bed and take a seat. "How are you feeling?"

"The same. You know we haven't thought too much on baby names besides that one night when we both couldn't sleep."

"I kept a note of all the names we discussed that night on my phone."

"Good, when we get home we should go over them again."

"Ladies, good evening or good morning depending how you look at it." Doctor Caplan says coming into the room. "I just got done delivering a baby girl and I was informed that you two were here, so I decided to come check you out personally before I go home."

"Oh thank God. That other doctor was too slow for my liking." I comment, which gets a laugh out of our doctor.

"Arizona, you can't just say that." Callie scolds. "But we are glad you're here."

"I assure you doctor James is very capable. I just got you tests results back, but first I want to take a look at what's going on, so I'm just going to perform an ultrasound." Our doctor takes a seat on a stool and puts on some latex gloves before squirting some gel onto my wife's belly and moving the wand around. The room is quiet as we listen to the whooshing sound. We get a chance to hear both heartbeats and thankfully they are healthy and strong.

"So what's the verdict?" Callie asks looking at the monitor.

"It appears the both babies are breeched." He answers calmly. "Meaning they are feet first instead of head down. My main concern is that if they stay in this position too long the oxygen supply for Baby B in particular could be jeopardized. That along with your test results, which showed high blood pressure again, worries me."

"So what should we do?" My eyes glance between the doctor, the monitor, and my wife.

"I'm going to schedule an emergency C-section and deliver the twins now." The grip Callie has on my hand becomes tighter as we listen to what the doctor is telling us. "I don't want you to be too alarmed, okay? We've talked about this at all the appointments. Some nurses are going to come in and get Callie ready and then she'll be moved into an operating room. Arizona, you can be there the entire time. I'll see you both down there." Once he leaves the room, we both stare at each other shocked.

"Callie."

"Arizona, we can't have them today." She says shaking her head

"We don't have a choice, babe."

"B-but, this isn't how it's supposed to happen." She says with a quivering tone. "Not like this."

"I know, honey but—"

"No. It was Sof's party first and then school is out, then we have the babies, and then Noah's birthday and by that time I would've been healed. It was all planned. We had a plan. We aren't even ready."

"We're ready, Callie. The car seats and carriers are already in my car and I packed your bag two weeks ago, it's in the trunk. The room has been ready for a month."

"But the kids are still in school and you still have work."

"The kids and I both have one week left. I'll take off the rest of the week." I reply steadily.

"But this wasn't the plan! This isn't the plan. It's too early. Arizona, I can't do this." She says as a tear falls down her cheek.

"Hey, hey, hey, listen to me. You're going to be okay, Calliope." Placing a kiss on her forehead, I use my thumb and wipe away her tear. "You can do this, I promise you that you can. I'm going to be right by your side, honey. We talked about how anxious we were to meet them and now we can. We get to meet our boys, baby."

"We get to meet them."

"Yeah, we do." The next fifteen minutes there's a flurry of activity. Nurses tend to Callie as they prepare her for surgery and I'm given a gown to wear. I follow as she's rolled into a sterile operating room. "Look." I point Callie's eyes in the direction of the two baby beds eagerly awaiting the arrival of our boys.

"I guess we should've spent a little more time picking names, huh?" Callie softy laughs as she's transferred to the operating table.

"Okay Callie, we're going to put you under some anesthesia." The anesthesiologist gets the gas mask ready.

"Arizona, I want you to follow them once they come out. They are born a little early and will be taken up to the NICU for cautionary purposes, go with them."

"Callie, I'm not going to leave you."

"No, go with them. They are just going to staple me up and take me back to the maternity ward. I want your eyes on them the whole time." I nod in understanding and doctor places the gas mask on my wife's face. Her eyes began to fall and soon they are closed.

"Alright, Arizona we're about to begin." Doctor Caplan says from his side of the operating table. There's a tall cover up between Callie's upper body and her lower body where the operation is taking place. I'm not good with a lot of blood, so it's probably a smart that I can't see what's going on, besides seeing a scalpel tear across my wife's skin is not something I ever want to see. "Okay, here's baby boy A!" Doctor Caplan announces to the room. A loud shrieking cry erupts in the room and joyful tears immediately fall from my eyes as I catch a glimpse of our new baby boy. He's passed right away to a team of nurses to looked at.

"He's beautiful, Callie. So, so beautiful." I whisper to my wife even though she can't hear.

"Baby boy B is right behind his brother." A few more seconds pass until our second son is delivered.

"He's not crying, I don't hear him crying." Staring at our doctor, I watch as he applies pressure on my little boy's chest. "Is he—". Right on cue, he starts crying the tension in the room breaks and he's passed on to another team of nurses.

"He just needed a little help, that's all." Doctor Caplan reassures me. "I'm just going to close your wife up and then we'll move her." Our boys are rolled out of the room by their respective teams.

"Doctor, her blood pressure is dropping fast." The anesthesiologist announces as a monitor begins beeping loudly.

"Doctor Caplan, she's bleeding!" Another nurse alerts us.

"Okay, Arizona I need you to leave the room." I feel hands on my body as they pull me away from my wife and towards the door.

"No, wait, what's wrong with her?! Why are all the monitors beeping? Do something!" I don't get any answers as I'm pushed out of the room.

"Arizona, what are you doing here?" I hear a familiar voice and look up to see Meredith Grey coming my way. "Is Callie okay?"

"I don't—I don't know. She had the boys and then I just heard all this beeping." Meredith holds my arms to try and settle my breathing. "Do something, Meredith. I need you go check on her."

"Okay, okay. I'll go in. I need you to calm down. Are the babies okay?"

"Yeah, they're on the way to the NICU."

"Go be with them, I'll check on Callie."

"Meredith, please." I beg her.

"I know, Arizona. I know." She gives me a hug and walks into the operating room where the beeping sounds are still blaring.

* * *

"One minute your blood pressure is too high and the next it's too low. You can't keep throwing me these rollercoasters, babe." I mumble to myself as I watch the rise and fall of my wife's chest.

"S-sorry." Callie croaks outs.

"Thank God." I nearly jump out of my chair once I hear my wife's voice again. "I think you get a kick out of scaring me. How are you feeling?"

"Okay, I guess." She gives me a half smile. "The boys?"

"Perfect." Kissing her cheek, I pull out my phone and show her the pictures from our new boys. "They're still getting checked on but they passed on every test with flying colors. Now that you're up they can come visit."

"They look the same."

"Honey, they're twins."

"Well obviously, but their fraternal twins so they should look a little bit different."

"I'm sure they will come into their own." I emphasis.

"So how did it all go? What happened?"

"I believe I can help with that explanation, Callie." Doctor Caplan announces upon entering the room. "Glad to see you're up." He proceeds to explain to Callie everything that happened during the operation, but assures us that my wife is fine and so are the babies. They will stay in the NICU tonight for observation, but tomorrow they can come stay in the room with us. Because of Callie's operation she will have to stay in the hospital for at least three days, something neither of us were too thrilled to hear. Once we can go home as a family Callie will still be very limited in her movements, she's basically on bedrest until her scar heals and is free of any infection. As he exits, he informs us that he's going to go check on our boys again and have some nurses bring them to us so we can at least have a few minutes with them.

"What time is it?" Callie asks.

"A little after eight in the morning, why?"

"It's Friday, Sof and Noah have to get to school."

"I already called my mom and she's on it. I gave her very specific instructions regarding their lunches and the school's address is programmed in the GPS so she won't get lost. I told mom about the boys and to say she was overjoyed would be an understatement. She hasn't told the kids yet, I thought maybe we could do that. With all the family in town for Sof's party everyone will be able to meet the boys."

"Oh gosh the party." She quickly remembers, "What are we going to do? There's so much left to be done."

"Have you met Barbara Robbins?" I ask sarcastically. "She lives for this type of stuff. It'll get handled, babe. I just want you to focus on healing and getting stronger. We're going to need all your energy to raise newborns. I'll handle the party situation."

"Sof's going to be upset that I'm not there."

"Trust me, she'll be showered in so much attention I doubt she'll notice." Kicking my feet up onto Callie's bed, I rest my head on her shoulder. "I'm so insanely proud of you, Calliope. You did such a good job, from the hormone treatments, through the pregnancy, and in the OR today."

"I couldn't have done it without you, babe." She turns her face towards me and gives me a peck on the lips. "I love you."

"I love you too. So, so much." After a few quiet minutes, the door slowly opens and our sons are being carefully wheeled in.

"Congratulations you two. I'll give you all some private time before coming back in and going over some basic instructions." Since Callie can't move much, I get up and bring them closer to us. Both are wearing matching blue hats and swaddled perfectly as they continue sleeping.

"Pass me one!" My wife's arms are eagerly open.

"Mama wants to meet you little guy." I nozzle my nose against my son's tiny before passing him off. I lift our second son out his bed and cradle him in my arms. "Hi little buddy, it's me your mommy. Boy am I glad to see you. You're so cute, yes you are. You and your brother are just so handsome."

"I got it, honey." Callie says staring at one of our new bundles of joy in her arms. "Mateo Alexander Torres."

"A strong, solid name. I like it. It's so nice to meet you, Mateo. I love you so much already." I carefully lean over and place a kiss on his little forehead. "What should I name your brother, huh? I've been thinking about it all morning."

"You've always liked Elijah, babe."

"I know, my mom said that was going to be Tim's name, but at the last minute she changed her mind." Looking down at the cute face in my arms, I filter through all the names Callie and I have talked about. "Gabriel Elijah Torres."

"Mateo and Gabriel. I love it." My brunette smiles.

"Gabriel came out a minute and sixteen seconds after Mateo."

"Wow, that's kind of close. Let's switch, I need some Gabriel loving." We do a careful baby exchange. "Arizona, they still look exactly the same to me. Once the nurses take off their little wrist ID's I'm going to confuse them."

"No you won't, honey. Mateo here is a little bigger than Gabriel." My wife does have a valid point though, they are both the same skin complexion, practically matching Callie's, and both have brunette hair peaking below their hats.

"I'm certain Gabriel has your nose. Oh honey, look!" Callie eyes light up as little Gabriel finally opens his eyes for us for the first time.

"He's got beautiful brown eyes, babe. Just like you."

"Thank you, Arizona."

"For what?" I peel my eyes away from Mateo and look at Calliope. "You had the hard part." I jokingly tease.

"For giving me, well, for giving us this gift. I couldn't ask for anything more. Everything we went through to get here was worth it. Even the bad stuff." She says reflectively. "God always has a plan and He gave us two wonderful baby boys. I know I already said it but I truly couldn't have done any of this without you, so thank you."

"I would do it all over again for you." Carefully maneuvering myself with Mateo in my arms to sit next to Callie, we share a quiet moment. "I'd do anything for you, Calliope. What makes me happy is you happy."

"That's a good thing, cause what makes me happy is you happy."

"Well I'm glad we're on the same page with that." A little yawn escapes Mateo's mouth and his eyes flutter open. "Oh boy, I've got double trouble. Those brown eyes are killer." I can't help but to place another kiss on my son's forehead.

"How is it that I just woke up and yet I still feel tired?"

"You and your body have been through a lot. Get as much rest as you can, I have a feeling we won't be getting much sleep between the two of them."

A nurse returns to our room and goes over general newborn information. She goes over special nursing instructions for twins as well as quick diaper and swaddle tutorial again. Our time with Gabriel and Mateo comes to an end as they as taken back to the NICU for observation. Once she leaves, my exhausted wife falls back asleep and I take care of the birth certificate paper work. Since I'm technically the biological mother, it's just my name and signature on the certificates, I hate that I can't put Callie's name down but it's the world we live in.

"How's Callie? How's everything? How are my new grandson's?" My mother bombards me with questions when I call her again.

"Callie's fine, she's sleeping right now. Your grandson's, Mateo Alexander and Gabriel Elijah, are back up in the NICU and are doing fine as well." I smile into the phone as I walk up and down the maternity ward corridor. "My family is perfect. How did everything earlier?"

"Just peachy! It was like taking you and Tim to school all over again. Wow, Mateo and Gabriel. Beautiful names, Arizona. How are you doing, huh? You know need rest too."

"I think I'm running on adrenaline, but I'll catch a quick nap soon. Maybe bring the kids by after school, I know they'll want to see Callie and I bet they'll be surprised once they find out we had the babies."

"I'll be honest, it was hard keeping that secret from them." She pauses. "So how does it feel to be a new mom again?"

"It's amazing, mom. I can't even put into words how it feels. As soon as I held them my heart swelled with joy and pride. I had a dream about what it would be like when they arrived, but this is so much better."

"I'm happy for you and Callie. You two continue to make me proud. I can't wait to meet the newest additions to the family. I'm working on that list of things for Sof's party you sent me earlier, so I gotta go. Call if you need anything. Try and get some rest."

"Thanks, mom." I reply, holding back a big yawn.

"You know I'm always there for you. Congratulations, sweetheart. You're a wonderful mother."

"I learned from the best."

 **AN: Sorry again for the long time between chapters. Luckily, I finished school so hopefully I'll be able write more. I'd be interested to know your thoughts on this chapter, for some reason it was harder to write than usual, but I think it turned out okay. Thanks again to everyone who suggested a baby name, it was hard to settle on them.**

 **Thanks for reading!**


	33. Chapter 33

Chapter Thirty-Three

 **Hope you enjoy!**

Arizona's POV

The past two weeks have been a whirlwind. The birth of our beautiful new boys Mateo and Gabriel, our little girl turning seven, and family and friends shuffling between the hospital and the house to check on Callie. Thanks to my mom, Sofia's party went smoothly and she was beyond happy. I managed to stop by while Callie was at the hospital. I didn't want to leave her side, but she insisted that at least one mother be there and luckily nurses were around in case my wife needed any assistance. Although Callie didn't want a baby shower with the twins, we did throw her a small welcome home party when she was released from the hospital. She was grateful, but clearly tired so it didn't last too long. With our hands full, my mom offered to stay with us and help out around the house and with the kids and we couldn't be more thankful. Between all the crying, feedings, diaper changes it's been chaos in our house. We knew having two newborns would be a lot, but add in a seven-year-old and a four-year-old, and we are completely overwhelmed. I've never been happier for summer camp to start because it will give Callie and I a little bit of a break while Sofia and Noah are away. Callie's been trying so hard to balance time between all four kids, but it's almost impossible especially since she's supposed to be bedridden due to her C-section, but my wife does like to break the rules. She can barely sleep more than four straight hours because of feedings. I obviously help out whenever I can, but I'd be lying if I said I wasn't exhausted too.

"Noah, it's time for breakfast. Let's go." Urging my son along as I walk into his room, all of his attention is focused on the small action figures in front of him on the floor.

"Okay." He offers weakly.

"Come on, grandma made breakfast for you and Sof is already downstairs. You don't want to be late for your first day of camp."

"Five minutes mommy."

"Five minutes then downstairs little mister." I leave his room and walk back to my bedroom where Callie is trying to catch a few minutes of sleep, but isn't succeeding.

"What's Noah up to?" She asks as I make my way back to bed.

"He's up, but playing."

"He needs to eat. I don't want them to be late for camp." Mateo, in his bassinet next to Calliope, begins fussing so she carefully lifts him up and cradles him. I glance at Gabriel in his bassinet on my side of the crib and he's resting peacefully.

"I told him five minutes than he's downstairs for breakfast. Mom is already down there with Sof and is making their lunches."

"Thank goodness for your mother. She is a life saver."

"Tell me about it."

"What's that—oh gosh, no wonder Mateo is fussy. He's in a dirty diaper." Callie scrunches her face and gets out of bed. "I'm going to go change him."

"Callie let me do it. You're not really supposed to be moving around except to use the bathroom and stuff."

"For the fiftieth time, Arizona. I'll be fine. I can't lay in bed for four more weeks. I'll go crazy. Can you just get Noah to breakfast? You know how he can be and I want them to get to camp a little early so they can find their way."

"Fine, but listen out for Gabriel. He should be waking any second."

"Trust me, there's no way I can ignore those cries." Callie says leaving the room. "Come on little guy, let's go get you clean."

"Well I'm glad you could join us mister Noah." My mom places a plate of food in front of him as he sits down next to Sofia. "Eat up."

"Thanks grandma."

"Of course, dear." She gives him a kiss on the cheek and moves back into the kitchen with me right behind her. "Here, I think you could use this." She passes me a cup of coffee and some creamer.

"Ahh yes, thank you mom."

"Of course. How are my two-new grandson's this morning? I heard them crying last night."

"They're fine, just draining Callie of everything. She's worried she's not producing enough milk fast enough."

"Well she is feeding two new ones multiple times a day. As long as they seem full and satisfied then I think it should be okay."

"Yeah, we have a doctor's appointment next week so can discuss it there. How are you? What's your plan for the day?"

"With camp starting that will open up much of my day. I'll drop them off, head to the store, come back and do some laundry. Maybe for lunch I can watch the boys for a while you and Callie have a little time together. Soon it'll be time to pick up the kids from camp. Any special requests for dinner?"

"Whatever you make is fine."

"Alrighty then. It's time for us to get a move on. Sofia! Noah! It's time to go!"

"You guys heard grandma, get in the car you two." Callie comes into the kitchen with Mateo in her arms. "But first give me a kiss." Sofia and Noah run over to Callie as she passes me our two-week old. "I want you guys to have a great day at camp. Be nice, listen to your instructors, and follow the rules. Thanks again for all your help, Barbara."

"No need to thank me, it's what family is for. He's just so precious. This is Mateo, right? I'm starting to tell them apart."

"Yep, this is little Mateo. Say bye-bye to your big brother and sister." Mateo's eyes are wide and alert as he looks all around him.

"Bye Mateo! See you later." Sofia says as she skips off to the front door, but Noah hangs back.

"Mama, when I get back will you play with me?"

"Of course I will." Callie answers.

"Promise?"

"I promise. You and me."

"Awesome!" He gives Callie one last hug before grabbing his lunch bag from her hand and catching up with his sister.

"We're off. Call if you need anything." My mom waves goodbye and ushers the kids out the door.

"You think I have time to take a quick shower?" Calliope heads back upstairs and I follow right behind her.

"Yeah, I'll watch our little ones. Take all the time you need, babe."

"I wish I could, but Gabriel will be up any minute and I know he'll be hungry. And once one of them starts eating the other wants to join in on the party. I'll be five minutes."

"I got it all under control."

"I like the way that sounds." Callie shuts the bathroom door behind her and within seconds I hear the water running. I stand in front of a window in our bedroom with Mateo in my arms as I sway him from side to side.

"Just you and me kid. Your brother is a deep sleeper, I think he got that from mama. So what's on the agenda today? Eat, sleep, poop? You did that yesterday. You and your brother are getting kinda predictable, ya know?" As I ramble on to Mateo he just continues to stare back at me with his big brown eyes. "You're such a cute baby boy. Your mama and I will have our hands full with all four of you." Gabriel starts crying, letting everyone know he's awake now. "Looks like your brother is up." I lay Mateo down on the bed on his head support pillow and pick up Gabriel from the bassinet. "Good morning mister Gabriel. How's my other boy doing today, huh?" His cry gets louder and louder and I know it's not a hold me cry, it's a feed me cry.

"Callie." I call through the bathroom door.

"I know, I know. I'm coming." Shutting off the water, she opens the door clad in her robe. "Hello my beautiful boy! Time to eat." She takes Gabriel from my arms before sitting on the bed. She opens her robe enough to expose her breasts and begins nursing Gabriel. Just like that his cries go away but his brother's start up. "Looks like both my boys are hungry." I help lay Mateo in Callie's other arm so she can nurse them at the same time. Once everyone is situated, I join my wife on the other side of the bed and take in the soft, suckling sounds of my boys. It seems this is the first time the house has been actually quiet since the day we bought them home.

"So mom said she'll watch them at lunch so we could have some time together."

"And by time together do you mean both of us taking naps because that is what I desperately need right now."

"Naps and lunch."

"Sounds good to me. Honey, can you get me a glass of water. I get very thirsty after breastfeeding."

"Right on it babe."

* * *

"Hey mom."

"Arizona, I didn't expect you up so soon." I join my mom in the living room on the couch next to Mateo and Gabriel who are happily perched up on big pillows soaking up all the attention my mother is giving to them. "My grandson's and I are doing just fine, go get some more rest."

"It's okay. I'm up, but I did leave Callie in bed. She needs all the sleep she can get." I scoop Gabriel up in my arms and give him a few kisses while my mom holds his brother in her arms. "I'm still at that stage where I feel the need to check on them all the time. I don't think Callie notices, but sometimes during the night I wake up and just stare at them just to make sure their okay."

"It's that mother instinct, darling. Once you have it you never lose it. You're doing so good with them, how does it feel? You've got that new mother glow."

"You mean my make-up free face, messy hair, and mix-matched clothes?"

"Well there's that, but also the smile that lights up your face every time you look at Mateo and Gabriel."

"I have a lot to smile about. The hardest thing is just making sure I balance my time and attention with both of them. I don't want to feel like I'm giving one more attention than the other."

"From what I've seen you're doing a fine job." My mom replies bouncing Mateo in her arms. "I can't help but wonder something."

"What's that?" I ask glancing at my mother.

"Being here for Sof's birthday with family and then welcoming the twins home, I just feel like Lucia is missing out. You have a chance to start fresh with Lucia with the twins. Have you and Callie given it any thought?"

"Not we haven't." The name Lucia is hardly said in the home. Callie has come to terms with that relationship and I support her on that. "It's up to Callie. If she can come back into our lives with an open heart and mind then I'm all for it, but she's done nothing to prove that."

"All I'm saying is I love seeing my grandkids and watching you and Callie in mommy mode. I think Lucia is really missing out. When was the last time you spoke with her? Maybe you can reach out."

"I don't know mom. I hear where you're coming from, I do, but I think if anyone needs to reach out it should be Lucia. I'm sure Carlos or Aria told her by now about the arrival of her newest grandchildren. She hasn't called or anything. I'm not going to waste a lot of energy on it, I've got a lot on my plate already."

"Just remember, you're not doing it for yourself you're doing it for your kids. Isn't that right, Mateo?" She asks the small bundle of joy in her arms. "You want to meet your other grandma, don't you?" She coos in a high-pitched voice.

"Did they sleep at all when we went up after lunch for our nap?"

"No, it may be time to lay them down now."

"We can put them in the nursery." We carry the boys upstairs to their room and put them down. I decide to go take a shower while my mother begins some laundry. Lucky for me, I was able to fit in a nice long, hot shower. I washed my hair, shaved a few places, and I'm pretty sure my body thanked me for freshening up.

"Babe, I got an idea." Callie announces when I exit the bathroom in my towel. "Come here." Rested up against the headboard with her laptop in her lap, she waves me over excitedly.

"How'd you sleep?"

"Fine, but look at this." She says pointing at the screen. "A Cars themed birthday party for Noah. He would love this."

"I like it." I plop down on the edge of the bed and make some room for myself.

"Right? I woke up and realized we haven't don't anything. No invitations, no theme, no food menu, nothing. He's turning five in a month we need to get on it. I don't want this to get overlooked with everything else."

"I promise you it won't." I assure her. "I see your already on Pinterest."

"Well they just have so many ideas! When Noah comes home later we need to ask him who he wants to invite to his party. We need to send out invitations this week."

"Do you want to keep it small or big?"

"Whatever he wants." She quickly answers. "Hm, you smell good. Like really good." Her attention turns from the screen to me. "New body wash?"

"No, this was just the first time I've been able to take a shower longer than five minutes so I was able to really lather up." I laugh.

"Well you smell delicious." She grabs me by the chin and pulls me in for a kiss. Our lips touching does light a small fire inside me. Obviously any type of physical intimacy is off the table for a while, but I do miss being close with my wife.

"Please tell me you miss this too." She whispers against my lips.

"Of course I do." I place a kiss on her lips. "But we have to wait."

"Trust me I know, and I'm honestly not interested in sex right now, I just miss having a quiet moment alone with you."

"Me too."

"And besides, there's no way you're seeing what I've got going on all under here." She motions a hand over her body.

"Callie, you know I don't care."

"Yeah, but I do. Once the staples come out I'll have a scar. Plus I have a bunch of baby weight to lose and I don't think I've shaved anything since a month before I gave birth. Oh and my boobs, they feel so weird. It just wouldn't be enjoyable." She finishes with a shake of her head.

"Whenever you're ready, babe."

"That being said, I'm totally down for a few more kisses."

"I can handle that."

"Good." Closing her laptop and putting it away, she maneuvers herself to straddle my lap.

"Callie, you—"

"What? Am I too heavy?" She interjects slightly embarrassed.

"No it's not that at all, it's just you shouldn't be doing lots of moving. I don't want this position to mess up your staples. You're supposed stay in bed unless it's to use the bathroom, shower, or eat."

"Can we screw the rules for like five minutes? Besides I'm a doctor, I'll be fine." She replies with a cocky smirk.

"Fine." I wrap my arms around her waist and pull her close as she runs her fingers through my damp hair. "Just kissing."

"Just kissing." She echoes. "Well kissing and a quick peek." She pulls the front of my towel and looks down my chest.

"Like what you see babe?"

"Yes I surely do, but that's for another time." Bringing my lips to hers, I capture her soft lips for a searing kiss. It's slow and steady, almost like were getting reacquainted with one another. She tugs on my bottom lip before grazing her tongue over it and carefully slipping it into my mouth. I hungrily accept it as I slide my tongue around hers, connecting our mouths even more. The moment her hips begin to rock against me, I slow down the kiss before it gets too heated.

"Baby…" Reluctantly, I pull back.

"I know. I was getting carried away."

"Anticipation makes the heart grow fonder." I add. "Just think, you and me alone. My fingers inside you, your fingers inside me. Who knows, maybe we even pull out the strap on. Haven't done that in a while. I'll be honest babe, I can't wait to get my mouth on your breasts again. I mean seriously they are—"

"I'm wet."

"Seriously? Already? That didn't take much, I mean I'm not complaining." I boast happily.

"No, not that kind of wet. You mentioned my boobs. I think I'm leaking." We both look at her shirt and sure enough there are two wet spots. "Crap." She gets off me and heads into bathroom, putting a quick end to my rambling. I get up and change out of my towel and into some comfortable clothes.

"You okay?" I call into the bathroom.

"Yeah, my boobs are just really full."

"That's good, right? You were worried about not producing enough milk."

"I guess the milk gates opened." She jokes back. "I don't want to wake them up during their sleep to feed them cause it will make them cranky. I'm just going to pump some of it out."

"The pump is in the other room. I'll go get it.

"Thanks. While you do that, I'll change my shirt."

* * *

"I told everyone at camp that I had two new baby brothers."

"Yeah, what did they say?" Tucking my daughter into bed, she continues to tell me all about her big first day of camp. She and Noah had so much to say during dinner.

"They said babies make a lot of noise. My friends want to meet them. Can grandma bring them when she picks me up tomorrow?"

"I don't know about that, sweetie. Maybe in a couple of weeks."

"Okay." She replies disappointed. "I love them so much, mommy. I want all my friends to meet them."

"They will very soon. You're such a good big sister, Sof. Mama and I are very proud."

"Daddy said they will look up to me so I have to be good."

"Your dad is one hundred percent right. Maybe we'll have a mommy and Sof day soon. How's that sound."

"Can we get our nails painted?"

"I'll think about it." I place a kiss on her forehead. "Night, Sof. Love you."

"Love you too." Turing the light out on my way out of the room, I close the door and head back to my room. Once inside, I see Noah fast asleep curled up to Callie who's also sleeping. Books and action figures are spread out on the bed. I carefully lift Noah up without waking him and carry him back to his bed.

"Mommy."

"Shh, shh, shh, go back to sleep buddy."

"Okay." He snuggles into his bed and I pull his sheets up to cover him. "Night night."

"Night night, Noah. Love you." As I make my way down the hall back to my room, I hear the loud cry of one of the twins.

"Gabriel has a dirty diaper and Mateo just wants to be held." Callie states when I enter the room. Clearly her snooze didn't last too long.

"I'll take Gabriel." She passes me our youngest son and goes to tend to Mateo. Minutes later I return to the bedroom with a freshly-changed Gabriel. Mateo is still crying as Callie walks him around the room.

"I don't know, he just won't stop."

"Let's switch." I take Mateo and Callie takes Gabriel. His piercing cry rings throughout the room and makes his brother being crying as well. It's almost if they are out crying each other. Deciding to separate them, I walk with Mateo down to the nursery and close the door. His wailing subsides a little in the quiet room, but within minutes they return to full force. I guess it's going to be another long night.

 **AN: Thanks for reading! I feel that this story is going to wrap soon. When I first started the story I knew I wanted it to end after the babies arrived. Not quite sure how many chapters are left (maybe close to six or seven at the most) but it's definitely winding down. Just wanted to give you guys a heads up. If there's something you want to see PM me or leave a comment and I'll try and work it in.**


	34. Chapter 34

I don't anything…all credit goes to ABC/Shondaland

Callie's POV

Chapter 34

 **Hope you enjoy!**

"Okay Callie, the physical part of your exam is all good." Doctor Caplan rips off his latex gloves and updates his tablet with some notes. "As you can see you have a scar from the C-section, but those tend to go away over time. You may be left with a smaller scar, but it just depends. Some women use a special cream or moisturizer to help, but that's up to you. You're also clear to resume sexual activity if you wish."

"Thanks." Glancing at the scar on my lower abdomen I cringe a little. What used to me smooth, tan skin is now tainted, but it was all worth it for the joy that Mateo and Gabriel have given the family. I think I'll always be a little self-conscious about it, but hopefully that will go away over time.

"So tell me how's your mental state? That's just as important as anything physical." He asks adjusting his glasses.

"Um, okay I guess. As you can imagine I'm super exhausted. I even thought about skipping this appointment and just taking a nap in the car." I laugh. "I just feel like everyone needs something from me all the time. Truthfully, I haven't thought much about me, everything is kids, kids, kids."

"I understand and that's perfectly normal, but in order for you to be the best mother possible, you have to take care of yourself. They go hand in hand. I'm going to give you this." He hands me a post-partum depression pamphlet. "I think most people toss these in the trash, but just read it. If you think you're experiencing any of these symptoms, maybe talk to someone about it. I'm not saying your showing any signs, but if you do it's okay."

"Thank you." I graciously accept the paper and brochure and place it in my bag.

"Is nursing going well for you?"

"Yes, it's gotten much better. I think it took my body getting used to producing enough milk for two, but that's gotten much better. My mother-in-law and Arizona have been very helpful making sure I eat enough to give my body energy."

"Good, that's great Callie. Well it sounds like everything is going as expected. We'll continue to monitor your blood pressure, but right now it's okay. If you have any questions, you know where my office is. Next time you bring the boys in for a checkup, bring them by my office. I'd love to see them again."

"I promise I will. Thanks, doctor Caplan for everything."

"Of course, anytime. Take all the time you need to change back into your clothes. See you around." Once he leaves the exam room, I put my street clothes back on and leave the office. Since I'm in the hospital, I decide to go check in on the ortho floor and see my office.

"Holy shit, it's Callie Torres in the flesh!" Meredith smiles as she steps on to the elevator. "How's it going, new mom?" She asks giving me a big hug. "We miss you around here."

"Want to trade spots?"

"That rough, huh?"

"Yesssss. Arizona and I are drained. You have a few minutes? I'm going to my office."

"Of course I do." Stepping off the elevator, we walk down the ortho corridor. "I know you have a bunch of pictures on your phone, let me see." I pass her my device and watch as she faces lights up as she scrolls through pictures.

"Callie, they are adorable! I mean look at those faces."

"That's when they aren't crying. Sometimes I don't know what's worse, when they cry at the same time or when we finally get one to stop crying and the other begins."

"That's a tough one." She chuckles. "How are Noah and Sofia adjusting?"

"Fine. They brag to all their friends that they have new siblings. I think they get a little jealous of all the time we spend with the twins though."

"That's to be expected." As we enter my office, Meredith sits on the couch and I go over to my desk for the first time in weeks and sit down. I look over a few files on my desk, but not much else. I'm still on maternity leave after all and I fully intend on taking all my time off. "I'm excited to see them next weekend at Noah's party."

"That's going to be their big debut to everyone. It should be a fun time. How's it been around here? How is Jo doing? What about my replacement?"

"Jo is doing great. I've only had a few surgeries with her, but she's really taken to ortho. And your replacement, Ethan, is making friends with everyone. All the nurses love him."

"Oh gosh, is he a lady's man?" I scrunch my face at the thought of another Mark-type doctor. "My replacement can't be a man whore."

"Total opposite actually. He married his med school sweet heart. He and his wife have three kids. She's an oncologist at Seattle Presbyterian. I think his wholesome attitude makes his more desirable. He's only gone out to Joe's with us once. He's a family man to the core."

"Aw, that's good. I'm happy to hear that."

"Is this your first time out since giving birth?"

"No, Mateo and Gabriel came in for checkups two weeks ago. This is my first time out alone though. I felt guilty for leaving them, but it was nice to get out the house and actually drive somewhere."

"Yeah, I bet. How old are the boys now?"

"A little over six weeks. They're growing every day."

"I hear breastmilk is like the best thing ever. It pumps the babies full of nutrients and stuff. Is it true that your boobs can tell when your baby is crying?"

"Yeah, kinda. It's weird. Mark thought it was the coolest thing with Sofia." I check the time on my phone and realize I should probably get going. "As fun as this has been, I need to get out of here. I'm sure I'm needed at home."

"It was great seeing you, Callie. You look great."

"Thanks." I get up from my seat and give Meredith a hug. "Arizona told me you calmed her down when I was OR, so thanks for that."

"No problem. It was the least I could do. Tell her and kids I said hi. I'll see you guys next week."

"Sounds good, tell everyone here hey for me too."

"Will do. Take care." After Meredith leaves my office I grab my purse and keys and head to my car. I decide to call Arizona on my way home to see if we need anything from the store while I'm out.

 _"Hey babe."_

"Hey, I'm on my way home. Do I need to stop at the store?"

 _"I think we're good. Mom went a couple days ago. How was your doctor's appointment?"_

"Good. He said I'm doing as expected, so…"

 _"That's great! Mateo and Gabriel just got up from the mid-morning nap. Sofia and Noah are playing out back with my mom. If you're up for it, I was thinking we go out for lunch. We haven't really been out as a whole family in a while."_

"That's true. It's a nice day, maybe we can get some outside seating somewhere. I'll be home shortly."

 _"Great, I'll start getting the kids ready."_

"Okay, love you. Bye."

* * *

"Hiiiiiii mamaaaaaaa!" Noah yells as he runs around the first floor with his iPad and only in his underwear.

"Noah, stop running please!" I throw my keys and purse down on a nearby couch.

"Okayyyyy!" He giggles and continues to run around.

"How come he's always taking off his pants?" I mumble to myself. "Hey little miss, what are you doing?" I ask my daughter who's in the living room.

"Watching tv. Come sit with me, mama." I happily take a seat next to my daughter and watch whatever she's watching.

"We need to brush this pretty hair of yours before we go out." I run my fingers through her growing brunette hair.

"Mommy said she would do it. But she's busy with the babies. Momma and grandma are changing their diapers."

"Noah, for the second time please stop running!" I warn again as he continues to run around the first floor. "Well I'm here now, so I can help you out. Let's go upstairs."

"Okay!" I follow my daughter up the stairs and my peek my head into the twin's room.

"Hey, I thought I heard you come in." Arizona says caught in the middle of changing Gabriel. Barbara has her hands full with Mateo. "We should be ready to leave soon. Is Noah changed? I put his clothes on his bed for him."

"No, but I'll help him. I'm going to help Sof with her hair first."

"Oh thanks. I knew I was forgetting to do something." Sofia tugs on my arm and pulls me to her room.

"Alright, so what are we looking for? Pigtails? Pony tail? Or do you want to wear your hair down?"

"Pony tail, please." She smiles into the mirror.

"That I can do." I grab her hair brush and being gathering her hair together.

"Mama, will I see daddy again this summer?"

"Of course you will. Mommy and I only signed you up for camp through July. You have all of August off to hang out with your dad. I think he said something about going to New York again and visiting your other grandma."

"I like my other grandma. She's really nice."

"Yeah? That's good. I'm happy to hear that. Hey, if you ever want to spend more time with your dad just let me know, okay? I know phone calls and FaceTime aren't enough sometimes. Just let me know and we'll work on figuring something out."

"I will." She sweetly answers.

"Good. Now I think I'm all done! How's that look?" She models her head in the mirror and nods up and down. "Perfect, now put your shoes on and meet us downstairs." I leave Sof's room and go into Noah's to grab his clothes off the bed.

"Noah, come on bud! You need to change." I call out as I walk back down the stairs.

"Cominggggg!" He yells in response with his head still focused on his device. "I just—" Before he can finish his sentence he trips over a pair of shoes and falls on the ground, his tablet sliding across the floor and hitting the wall.

"Jesus, Noah are you okay?" I ask running down the stairs.

"What was that?" Arizona yells.

"I got it!" I yell back. Noah appears to be fine. Once he sits up he begins crying.

"Owwww! Mamaaaa!" I pick up my crying son when I reach the end of the stairs and carry him over to the couch.

"You're okay, Noah. I'm right here. Shhh, shhh, shh, I'm right here." As I console him, I glance over his body and check for any bruises. Just a couple of small scratches, but nothing serious. "This is why you can't run in the house, sweetie. You need to listen to me when I tell you to stop running, okay? Does it hurt anywhere?"

"My arm hurts." He says through tears and hiccups. I check his arm and rub is soothingly.

"What the heck happened?" Arizona comes into the room with Gabriel on her chest, Sofia right behind her with Noah's cracked iPad in her hands.

"I think it's broken." Sofia comments passing it over to me.

'Tell mommy what happened, Noah." I look to my soon for his cooperation.

"I was playing a game and fell over shoes."

"Tell her why you fell."

"Cause I was running." He answers softly. Arizona and I share a sympathetic look.

"When we get back from lunch you're in time out."

"Whyyyy?"

"Cause we've told you and Sofia not to run in the house. I'm sorry, but you know the rules. You broke your iPad and those are very expensive."

"Mommy that's not fair." He says crossing his arms and pouting.

"Yes it is. Now please go put on your clothes." He takes his clothes from me and leaves the room. "Is he okay?" My wife asks me once out son is out of hearing distance.

"Yeah, just a couple scratches."

"Good." She lets out a big sigh and turns to Sofia. "Sof, go get in the car. Grandma is out there putting Mateo in his car seat.

"Okay mommy."

"How's my boy doing?" Standing up, I take Gabriel from Arizona and give him a few kisses. "I missed you while I was away. Were you good for mommy?"

"He sure was." My wife happily answers. "So did everything okay with doctor Caplan?" She asks eyeing me carefully.

"Yep, he said I'm all clear and I have nothing to worry about." Leaning over to her, I give her a quick peck on the lips.

"And the blood pressure?"

"Good right now. We'll continue to monitor it, like we were doing before."

"I'm proud of you, babe." She wraps an arm lightly around my waist and leans on my shoulder while we both marvel over our cute boy. "So you think I should be planning a special date night soon?"

"Mmm, I don't know. I don't know how much fun I'll be."

"I guess I'll just have to remind you how much fun we have together." She places a kiss on my cheek. "I'm not sure when we'll have a free day, but I'm game if you are. Doesn't have to be anything fancy, just a few hours without the kids."

"It does sound very intriguing. I'm not just sure when I'll be ready to leave this guy." I pout while bouncing Gabriel in my arms, his eyes move all around taking in everything around him.

"Sorry for runnin' mama." Noah quietly states coming back into the living room with all his clothes on.

"I know you are. Thank you for apologizing. Now go get in the and let's get ready to go." He nods his head in understanding goes out the door.

"So do we have the diaper bags?"

"Yep, packed and ready to go." Arizona smiles. "We got plenty of diapers, baby wipes, clothes, and everything else we could need for a lunch outing. They boys changed and fully rested, although they may be hungry soon."

"Great." I sarcastically answer with an eye roll. "I'm gonna be that mom that whips her breast out at a restaurant and people will judge and stare."

"First of all, I packed the nursing cover, so you'll be fully shielded. And second, any person who has a problem with you feeding and nursing one of our kids can talk to me personally about it. It's one of the most natural things in the world and people make it a bigger deal than it is."

"I've got three kids in the car, just missing one!" Barbara says coming back inside briefly. "I think we're all hungry and ready to go."

"Go put Gabriel in his seat, I'll grab the diaper bags, ours bags and lock up." Once I walk outside to the car and open the door, Noah is the first person to say something to me.

"Mama, I don't like sitting all the way in the back."

"Yeah, I miss my old seat." Sofia chimes in.

"Well your brothers need to sit up here. It's better for them, plus with grandma sitting in the middle between them she can keep a close eye on them."

"I can do that."

"I'm afraid you're a little too young, Sof. It's a short ride, we'll be there very soon." I finish buckling Gabriel in and mouth a silent 'thank you' to my wonderful mother-in-law.

"Team Torres ready to go?" Arizona cheerfully asks as she throws the baby bags in the trunk. "Wow, I've never seen the car this packed before. There's a lot of us in here."

"The more kids you have, the bigger the car you'll need." Barbara quips back teasingly. "There's a good joke about birth control in there, but given the circumstances of you and Callie I'm not sure it works."

"That's never really been a burden for us." Arizona replies getting in the front seat and throwing me a wink.

"What's birth control?" Sofia innocently questions.

"Nothing." Arizona and I quickly answer back while Barbara giggles. "You can ask mommy again in ten years."

"Ten years? She'll be seventeen."

"Good point, ask mommy again in twenty years."

"Okay, well that's just a little excessive."

"No need to worry about the conversation now, girls. Just wait until you have it and she starts asking real questions."

* * *

"How's your food, Sof?"

"Real good, mama." She says stuffing her mouth with another forkful of buttered pasta. Luckily for us we were able to snag an outside table and enjoy the beautiful weather Seattle has to offer this afternoon.

"Callie, you haven't gotten much chance to eat with Mateo in your lap. Pass him to me, I can hold him for a while." Barbara graciously offers. With her to my left, I pass him over and take only the second bite of my chicken Caesar salad.

"Mommy, Mateo is making noises again." Noah looks down at his younger brother in his carrier.

"That's Gabriel, Noah. Grandma has Mateo."

"Oh." He says blankly. 'They look the same all the time."

"They're twins, duh Noah." Sofia sasses back.

"Hey, hey, none of that Sof." Arizona says picking up Gabriel. "They do look very much alike, but that will change. They already have some differences."

"You excited for your party next week, Noah?" Barbara asks redirecting the conversation. "Five is a big number."

"Super excited!" Our son replies with a lit-up face. "Mama said we can put race cars in the goodie bags."

"You know the little toy ones." I offer. "We've got a Car cake, Car paper plates and napkins, I found some kid sized toy cars that we can put out back. It's gonna be a great party."

"Our poor grass will be all messed up." Arizona mumbles

"You two have never shied away from a kid's birthday party."

"It's a big deal to us." My wife adds. "You and dad gave me and Tim nice parties too."

"We wanted to make sure you all had a great day. I'm just glad I can be a part of my grandkids celebrations. It'll be sad knowing that I'll have to leave."

"Wait, what? Why are you leaving? Who said you had to leave?" I rattle off quickly, clearly surprised. "Did you say she had to leave?"

"Of course not, this is the first I'm hearing of it. Mom, no one said you had to leave."

"Yeah, don't leave grandma." Noah says, taking a break from his chicken fingers and French fries.

"Oh this isn't new. I stayed six weeks when Noah was born. It'll be almost eight with the twins. Besides, it's time for me to go home. You know Daniel only knows how to cook three different meals. Plus, I miss my book club girls and my usual home routine."

"Mom, you can't leave. Callie and I need you."

"Seriously Barbara, there's no rush."

"I know, but I think it's time. I'll be back soon enough. Can't get enough of these handsome little boys." She says snuggling close to Mateo. "Both of you are on break from work, it'll be easy. Plus don't you have that babysitter?"

"Emma!" Sofia interjects.

"Yeah, Emma. She's good, right?"

"Yeah for like a couple hours a night. I don't think she's been around infants, plus we would never leave her with four kids. That's too much."

"Not to mention she's just a high school student. She doesn't want to spend all her time with kids over the summer."

"Callie's right mom. That's asking way too much of her."

"Well I'm sure you two can hire a professional. Look, I won't just leave you high and dry, but I think you should start looking." I guess that mama Robbins way of giving us a friendly push in a certain direction. I always knew she wouldn't stay forever, but hearing that her time is coming to an end puts it in perspective. Of course I'll miss her helping out around the house and with the kids, but she provided a maternal instinct that I've been missing for years and it's nice to have her company.

"I think someone wants their mama." Barbara hints while she passes me Mateo.

"It's time for them to eat, babe." Arizona grabs the nursing cover from the baby bag with one hand as she balances Gabriel and passes it to me. "They've been on a pretty good schedule lately."

"I know and it's better not to ruin it. Under the cover you go mister Mateo." Maneuvering him under the cover, I wait for him to successfully latch onto me. "Oh yeah, someone was definitely hungry."

"Are you going to have a girl next?"

"No more babies for me and mama for a while, Sof. You just got two new brothers."

"I know, but I still wanna sister."

"Sofia, not now please. Eat up." I gesture towards her. Barbara continues to talk with Noah about his upcoming celebration while Sofia contributes to add her opinion.

"So I guess we should start looking for a new sitter, huh?"

"I guess so." Arizona replies. "I mean we have the summer to figure it out. By the time you go back to work the twins can go to daycare."

"Yeah, but maybe we should look for someone who can do it all. Pick up the kids from school and daycare, help out around the house, make dinner some nights."

"You know how I feel about a nanny. It starts simple and then we add more and more responsibilities to the job and next you know our kids are spending more time with our nanny than us."

"That won't happen, Arizona." I respond. "We need help. You know how my hours can be. Plus, it would put less pressure on you to leave work on time every day and go pick them up. We should go into the process open-minded, that's all."

"I hear you, babe. We'll consider everything. I agree we'll need help, but I just don't want too much to change."

"Mommy! Mommy! Mommy! Can we go to the pool today?" Sofia enthusiastically asks. "I want to wear my purple bathing suit."

"What do you think?" My wife says turning to me.

"We didn't pack anything. No towels, swimsuits, or floats. And I once I finish with Mateo, I need to nurse Gabriel and then it'll be time for their naps. I can stay at home with them and you and your mother can go."

"You sure?"

"Yeah, I'm positive. It'll be nice to have a little peace and quiet at home when they go down."

"Alright then, mom do you mind coming along?"

"Of course not. Someone has to watch the pool chairs while you all are in the water."

"Fine, then we can go. Don't think I forgot about your time out, Noah. When we get back from the pool you still have punishment."

"Okayyy." He quietly responds.

"We'll go home, change, and pack some stuff to take with us." Just as Arizona finishes her sentence the waitress comes over and we ask for some to-go boxes and the check. Fifteen minutes later and we're back in the car headed home.

* * *

"I can't even tell you how much I needed that shower." Arizona exits the bathroom with damp hair and bright blue pajamas on.

"Good, huh?"

"Excellent." Tossing a few pillows to the side, she leans over to give me a kiss and joins be in bed under the covers. "Mhmmm, this feels soo good." She sighs sinking into the mattress. "Today was a long day."

"Indeed it was." With her arms open wide, she motions for me to lean into her, which I happily agree to. I slip a leg between hers and throw an arm over her stomach while I lay my head on her shoulder. A comfortable embrace we've been in numerous times. "Oh yeah, this definitely feels good."

"So I was going over the invite list earlier."

"Oh good, I need to get the final number for the caterer. What are we up to?"

"Thirty, only a few people haven't responded yet. I sent one to your dad. He said he'll be traveling for work—"

"Typical Carlos. Always so busy."

"But even though he can't make it, your mother can." There's a thick silence in the air when I hear about my mom. "Calliope?"

"You invited my mom?"

"Well I always address the invitation to your mom and dad, but I added a special note inside for your mom. I guess she read it and decided to come."

"You had no right to invite my mom, Arizona. Especially without asking me."

"Callie, I think—"

"No, Arizona. In this situation there's nothing to think about." Detangling our limbs, I sit up in bed and create space between us. "You know how I feel about my mother and where I stand."

"We can't be mad at your mom forever. You haven't spoken to hear in years, and I mean really spoken with her. Your grandfather's funeral doesn't count. And not for nothing, your mom was very nice to us during all of that."

"I seriously can't believe you, Arizona." I say shaking my head.

"Come on, Callie. It's a birthday party." She tries to explain her side, but it doesn't matter. She went behind my back and invited my mother without so much as asking me how I would feel about it. "She hasn't seen Sofia in ages and she's never met Noah. The twins just got here, it's a good time for her to come."

"I don't want her around my kids." I hastily reply getting up from the bed.

"Well I think _our_ kids deserve to meet her. She's coming and that's that. We'll just have to make the most of it."

"This is ridiculous." I slide my feet into my slippers and head towards the door.

"Where are you going? Callie come back."

"No, I need to get some water."

"Calliope, come on honey."

"Goodnight, Arizona."

 **AN: Who's up for a little drama? Is Lucia really a changed woman?**

 **Thanks for reading!**


	35. Chapter 35

I don't own anything…all credit goes to ABC/Shondaland

 **Hope you enjoy!**

Arizona's POV

"You like it, Noah?" I call out to my son.

"Totally!" Noah yells back. He's been test driving the toy race car we got for his party for the last ten minutes. With only a few minutes before people start arriving, the finishing touches are being put on the event. There are balloons, streamers, outdoor activities, drinks, and lots of food spread out all around the house and backyard. Sofia is currently getting her face painted by an artist we hired and my mom standing right beside me, watching her joyous grandson laugh and giggle.

"I still can't believe he's five, Arizona. It was just yesterday you were telling your father and I that you were pregnant."

"Ha! That was crazy forty-eight hours. Me in the hospital, telling you guys, walking down the aisle to marry Callie and then leaving for our honeymoon the next day."

"I remember your father telling me at the wedding reception that he was concerned that you were moving too fast." Turning my attention away from my mom to my son, I'm curious to this news. "In his eyes, it all happened so fast. You moved to Seattle and got a job, met Callie who already had Sofia, got engaged, then pregnant, and married. He was just worried, that's what parents do. But we watched you dance with Callie and you had such a big smile on your face, we knew nothing we said would stop you from being with her."

"I'm not so sure she feels the same way now." I joke offhand.

"She's still upset about the Lucia situation?"

"Yeah, we haven't talked about it. We haven't talked much to each other in the last week. She uses the kids as a distraction, which is smart because they need so much attention and I can't argue with that. When I try to talk to her at night about it she just rolls over and goes to bed."

"I'll be honest, I could sense the tension between you two. I do think you should've at least mentioned it to her, but I can also see your side. Callie probably would've never agreed to it otherwise."

"Callie talks a big game about family, but when it comes to hers she can be so weird about it." Letting out a sigh a running my hand through my hair, I shake my head at this conversation. "Speaking of my wife, where is she?"

"She's up in the twin's room getting them ready for today."

"Alright, I'll be back."

"It'll be okay, Arizona." My mother says rubbing my back. "I'll listen for the door in case some people show up early."

"Thanks, mom." I walk through the grass and back through the house before I reach the stairs and go up. I can hear my wife's voice as I get closer and closer to the twin's room.

"Are you excited to see everyone today? They are just going to eat you and your brother up, aren't they? If it becomes too much just let out a cry and mama will be right there. Got it?" Callie baby-talks to an excited Gabriel who's on the changing table. Mateo is nearby in his crib.

"Need any help?" I ask coming into the room. Callie glances at me, but quickly returns her attention to Gabriel.

"No. Just finishing up with Gabriel. I already changed Mateo." Picking up the eldest twin, I give his little fat cheeks a kiss. "They are fed, changed, and ready to party."

"I see." I walk over to Callie, who still won't look me in the eye. "Calliope, it's been a week and you're still giving me the cold shoulder."

"Am I? I didn't notice." She mockingly replies. "Next time maybe you'll ask me before you make one-sided decisions."

"I'm sorry for not telling you, but I'm not sorry for inviting your mom."

"You know I don't want to get into this right now." She assertively states, looking me straight in the eyes, finally. "It's Noah's party and today is his day. And since you love my mother so much you can be the one to entertain her when she arrives."

"Okay seriously, this act you've been putting up needs to end. You're acting childish, Calliope." I state firmly.

"Mommy just doesn't get it, does she?" She rhetorically asks Gabriel. She finishes buttoning Gabriel's onesie and lifts him into her arms. "Let's go see how it's looking downstairs. Excuse me." As she tries to get around me, I step in front of her hoping that we can talk this out, but neither of us say anything so I move to the side and let her walk out the room.

* * *

"Chip refill!" My mom states coming into the kitchen with an empty bowl. "How's it going in here?" Inside the house is mostly parents mingling while the kids are enjoying all the activities out back.

"Good. I think we're going to cut the cake in a few minutes. I sent dad and Tim to the store for some more drinks and ice cream. I can believe I forgot to pick up ice cream, it was the only thing I had to do."

"Well with everything going on, something was bound to be forgotten. Is Lucia here?"

"Nope." Looking around the kitchen and dining room, I notice my mother-in-law hasn't arrived yet and I'm starting to wonder if she is going to back out and not show.

"And Callie?"

"She's in the living room with the boys and a few friends from the hospital. It seems we're always in different rooms."

"Can I get a quick photo please?" The party photographer asks. My mom and I stand side by side and pose for a quick snap. "Thanks!"

"And we're back!" Tim proclaims coming into the kitchen and plopping down six containers of ice cream. "You didn't say which flavor to get so I got basically one of everything."

"The kids are going to be jumping off the wall for sure." My dad adds. "This is a fabulous party, sweetie. It's almost like a mini carnival."

"Yeah well we like to do parties big in this family. Can you do me a favor and help me gather everyone outside for the cake cutting? Tim can you grab the cake from the basement? It should be sitting on the pool table in a pink box."

"On it." I head into the living room where Callie and her friends are to get their attention.

"Hey, so we're going cut the cake now."

"Is it that cake you had for Sof's party? That was awesome." Karev boasts. "Are there any more beers?"

"Jeez Alex, it's a kid's party not a tailgate." Jo comments. She's got her hands full with Mateo.

"It's okay. There's plenty of beer in the basement along with other alcohol. I got tequila just for you, Grey." Callie adds.

"You know me so well." The surgical doctor replies. "We'll be right back." Meredith and Karev head towards the basement followed by Jo and Kepner, who's holding Gabriel.

"Make sure you bring back that baby, April."

"Don't worry, I'll make sure of it." Jo replies.

"Can we at least act like we love each other in front of everyone please?" I ask my wife as she stands up.

"Oh Arizona I do love you." She smiles sweetly. "But I'm pissed as hell at you right now." She pats me on the arm and walks around me.

Once everyone is finally gathered outside we begin singing to Noah. "Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you, happy birthday dear Noahhhhhh. Happy birthday to you!" Everyone claps, cheers, and whistles as the birthday boy blows out his candles. Callie and I pose for a picture around Noah and his cake for the photographer before Tim takes the knife and begins cutting up pieces for everyone.

"If you don't mind, can I get a few more family pictures please?" The photographer asks us. We happily oblige and move to another area of the backyard. We do multiple combinations of pictures with Noah, Sofia, the twins, my mom and dad, and even Tim when he finishes his cake cutting duties. "Can I get one of each of on the side kissing Noah's cheek?" Once we finish the picture, Noah turns to Callie and me and pushes us together.

"Mommies kiss!"

"Good idea. Can I get a quick snap of you two, please?" One look at Callie and I can tell she's not into the idea of us kissing and hugging right now, but she's always been one to put on a smile and go along with it so she does. The photographer takes a quick snap of us kissing and hugging before finally giving us the thumbs up that he's done. "Perfect. Thanks you two!"

"Can I eat cake now?"

"Go head buddy." Noah runs back to the table and his friends and out of the corner of my eye I see Lucia standing in the kitchen looking on.

"Oh look, your VIP guest has arrived." Callie cheekily mentions looking towards the kitchen. "Perfect time for me to take the twins upstairs and put them down. They've had a busy afternoon."

"Calliope, babe, come on." I plead with her. "At least say hello to your mom."

"You invited her, she's your problem. Besides, I don't want her meeting the twins until I know why she's really here. No ulterior motives or anything. I don't want the first time Mateo and Gabriel meet my mom to be a quick hello in passing." She walks off towards Tim who's happily holding his two new nephews.

"Honey, wait." I call out. My wife turns around with her arms folded across her chest waiting for me to speak up again. I glance around the backyard and notice kids and parents everywhere, so I take a couple steps closer to Callie. "I really am sorry. I hate you being mad at me. I love you, I never meant to hurt you, you know that."

"You've been saying that a lot lately." I let out a sigh and rub my forehead, it seems like I can't watch a break with her. She notices and takes a step closer to me, dropping her arms and softening her facial features. "I hate being mad at you. It's no fun."

"Calliope…"

"Look, I don't want to have this conversation right now given the circumstances." She says looking around at everybody. "I hear you, Arizona, I really do. You don't have to keep apologizing. Like I said, I'm going to take the boys upstairs and then I'll be back down. We can wrap up the party and go from there. I suggest you talk to my mom because she clearly looks out of place."

"Does this mean you're still mad?"

"Arizona."

"Okay, okay. I'll drop it." I throw my hands up. "I love you."

"I know you do." She pauses. "I love you too." She places a small, quick kiss on my lips and it immediately warms my heart. It's the most intimate thing we've done since I told her about our special party guest last week. She turns around and continues toward Tim while weaving in between kids running all around. I watch Callie and Tim do a baby exchange before she heads inside, not going near the kitchen. I look at my mom who was obviously already watching me and she nods in the direction of Lucia.

"Excuse me Noah's mom, can I have some more cake?" A friend of Noah's nearly crashes into me as I begin walking.

"Of course you can, we have plenty. You can go ask Noah's uncle Tim for a piece. He's wearing that red shirt."

"Cool." The young boy smiles and runs towards my brother. I briefly chat with a few mother's before finally walking inside.

"Arizona." Lucia grins at me. "Your home is lovely."

"Thanks, I'm so glad you could make it. We weren't sure if you were coming."

"I'm so sorry about that. Carlos took the private jet so I had to fly commercial and when I got here I realized I hadn't ordered a car service. So I had to rent a car, which took forever, and put your address in the GPS to figure out my way through Seattle streets." She apologetically answers.

"Oh you should've called. We could've picked you up."

"I didn't want to worry you. I knew you had the party to focus on." There's a quick moment of silence before she just wraps me up in a big hug. "I got your letter in the invitation, it was so sweet and I know I probably didn't deserve that considering our history, but it's the reason I'm here. I know we have a lot to discuss."

"We do, I was thinking you could stick around and after the party we can talk."

"Yes, of course. I came with gifts!" Lucia picks up two blue bags stuffed with tissue paper. "I wasn't sure what Noah is in to, but the man at the store insisted that boys his age love building things, so I got a big Lego set and a kid baseball set." It's clear that this is a new and improved Lucia, and she's more genuine than I've ever seen.

"That's perfect. He loves Lego's. He'll love it."

"Great, well I don't want to take you away from your guests. I'll be here."

"Feel free to enjoy the party, we have food, drinks, the wine and stuff is downstairs. My mom, dad, and brother are outside and I know they'll love to see you."

"Uh, it looks like you have some company." She points to a something behind me and I quickly turn around. Noah is walking to me completely drenched in water, tracking it all through the house."

"Noah, what in the world? How did this happen?"

"I asked uncle Karev to spray me with the water hose." He nonchalantly answers. "I need a towel."

"Go upstairs and ask mama for one. She's in the twins room." He nods and smiles brightly when he sees the two gift bags Lucia brought.

"Are those for me?!"

"Is this?" She looks at me for confirmation and I nod. It hits me that this is their first official time meeting.

"Yep, I'm the birthday boy! I'm five." Noah proudly holds his hand up.

"Well happy birthday, Noah. These are for you, but maybe you should dry up first."

"Excellent idea." I clap my hands together. "You can play with them later, so thank you to your grandmother."

"Grandma?" He looks at me confused.

"This is mama's mom, Noah."

"Ohhhhhh. I've never seen you before."

"I, uh…well I'm sorry about that." Lucia replies.

"It's okay." Noah smiles and heads towards the stairs.

"He's a beautiful boy. He looks so much like you."

"People say it's the eyes." I smile. "Callie should be down soon. Make yourself comfortable."

* * *

Forty-five minutes later the house is finally empty except for my family. My dad and Tim are collecting trash outside, my mom is chatting away with Lucia as they snack on some cake out back, and Sofia and Noah are in the basement watching a movie, completely worn out from the party. I just put away the last of the leftover food when Callie comes back into the kitchen.

"Another successful party done. We're getting really good at this." She states, grabbing a bottle of water from the refrigerator.

"We are. Are the boys still down?"

"Yep." She holds up the baby monitor for me to see. "So how long have they been talking?"

"At least twenty minutes. They seem to be getting along well. Your mom says she has some things to tell us."

"I know, she told me earlier. I guess we should get it over with." She reluctantly replies. "Before we talk with her, I just want to say I forgive you." She hops up on the counter with her feet dangling. "I know you had good intentions. You always have my best interest at heart as well as the kids."

"I always will." I move to stand between her legs with my hands resting on her jean-clad thighs. "I want to put this behind us. I think she's truly changed, of course only time will tell, but she deserves a chance. You don't have to have a relationship with her, but I want our kids too. Heaven forbid something happen to us, you know?"

"I get it."

"So you ready?"

"Yep." She says letting out a deep breath. I can only imagine what's going through her head. She's been on emotionally rollercoasters with her mom for as long as I've known her and before that. "I'll go get her. Let's talk in the living room." She hops off the counter and goes out to where our mothers are sitting. I walk into the living room and fluff a few couch pillows. A few minutes later I hear footsteps before the mother and daughter duo enter the room together. Callie sits next to me and Lucia sits across from us in a chair.

"First, I should give you these. Carlos said it was best to deliver them in person." She removes two envelopes from her purse and passes them to Callie. "It's the trust fund information for the twins. The same as Sofia and Noah."

"Thanks." Callie answers without thinking much of it. "So you said you wanted to talk to us, I mean that's why you came, right?"

"Well yes and for Noah's birthday. I'm not sure how to begin, but I guess it's best to say sorry and apologize. Between my father dying, Aria's pregnancy, and hearing about the birth of your boys, a lot of emotion has hit me in the last few months. I realized my actions and words have been hurtful and wrong for many, many years now."

"I'm sorry, mom, but I'm not buying this. You just had an epiphany all of a sudden?"

"Calliope, just listen." I put a hand on her leg to help her calm down.

"Yes, in a way I did, Calliope. From the moment your father and I found out about Sofia, it caused some issues in our relationship. Your dad wanted to be there for you, but I let my faith get in the way and I basically made him choose. Eventually he pulled away and he started reaching out to you more. For the sake of our marriage we thought it was best not to talk about you because I couldn't listen to what he was telling me. At first I was embarrassed, but I became ashamed of myself for acting that way and had too much of an ego to give in. Then it was Arizona, the wedding, and Noah, so much was happening and I wasn't prepared. Your dad was thrilled and I resented him for it. Whenever he spoke of you he was so happy and I was jealous. When my friends asked about you all I could say was that you were married and happy, that's all I knew and wanted to let myself know. After losing my father, family took on a new meaning to me. Once I heard about your pregnancy and Aria's I knew I had to change. Don't get me wrong, I was upset about Aria's situation, but I realized I was holding on to anger for no reason. Being involved in my grandchildren's life is important to me. I want them to know me. I'm not sure about our relationship, Callie, but I'd like to work on that too. Arizona, I want to apologize to you as well and mend our relationship. The last time I was in this home I was rude to you and your mother and neither of you deserved that."

"I'm up for a fresh start if you are."

"I'd really like that. Thank you." We both look at Callie who is still processing everything. Lucia seems honest and sincere to me. Whatever it took for her to come around paid off and I'm happy she's here, it's what I wanted when I sent the invitation.

"So you're completely okay with my marriage to Arizona and us raising kids?"

"Yes. Do I understand homosexuality, no not completely, but I don't understand a lot of things. I do know that who you choose to spend your life with isn't any of my business. You're happy and who am I to argue with that. Both of you are mothers and you know from the moment you become a mom you promise to do anything for your kids and always be there for them. I felt the same way with you and Aria, but I let you down Calliope. I wasn't by your side when you needed me most. I failed you as a mother and I'm sorry."

"I'm real tired of apologies these days." Callie answers, clearly annoyed.

"I understand. I'm staying at our hotel until tomorrow. My flight is at five-thirty in the evening. I'll be there all day if you want to talk. Thank you for inviting me today." She says getting up and gathering her belongings.

"Wait." She pauses. "Are you sure you want to leave before meeting your new grandsons?" Callie asks stands up. "They're sleeping right now, but you can see them if you want."

"I'd really love that." Lucia and I share matching smiles and eventually my wife joins in with a wide grin of her own.

* * *

Unlike most weekend nights in our home, the house is very quiet tonight. Sofia and Noah were both exhausted from the party that after dinner and baths they went right to bed with no argument to stay up longer. My mom went out to dinner with my dad and brother, and Callie and I had a quiet evening with the twins.

"So I was thinking we invite my mom over for brunch tomorrow so she can see the kids again before she leaves." My wife says breaking the comfortable silence we had in the twin's room, while continuing to rub Mateo's back as she tries to get him down for bed. I'm sitting in the gliding chair next to them with Gabriel in my arms doing the same thing.

"Yeah, of course. I think she'll really like that."

"Me too." Callie answers softly.

"So are you buying everything she said earlier? Cause I think I am. She seemed very sincere."

"I know, but I just think it's going to take some time for me. I was glad to hear what she had to say though. I was surprised to hear about the marriage troubles. I didn't think it would impact them that much."

"I kind of get it though. If one of our kids did something and we had completely different views on it, I'm sure it would cause tension between us."

"It's not like I just got a tattoo or dropped out of school, she's been upset about who I am as a person for years."

"Sometimes it takes a while for people to come around, honey. It sucks that it took this long, but she's here and she's trying. She knows she can't make up for what happened between you two, but she has a clean slate with the kids."

"That's why I didn't try and rehash the past and just let her see them. What's done is done and truthfully I'm tired of being mad at her." Callie gets up and places a sleeping Mateo in his crib. "I'm going to go take a bath."

"You haven't don't that in a while." I reply a little surprised.

"Trust me, I know, but after the long day we've all had I could use one." She comes over to place a kiss on Gabriel's head. "He's been a fidgety all day."

"I picked up on that too, I'll sit with him for a few more minutes. You can turn the light out on your way out, it might help him."

"Okay." She shuts the light off and closes the door behind her. I sit with Gabriel for a few more minutes and I find myself getting more tired with each passing minute. The sound of the front door opening and closing alerts me and I realize my mother is home. I get up and place the youngest member of the Torres family in his crib and go say goodnight to my mom.

"How was dinner?" I lean against the threshold of her room.

"It was lovely. We missed you all though. How did it go here?"

"Fine, Sof and Noah went down easy and I just put Gabriel down."

"And how about the conversation earlier with Lucia?"

"It went well. I definitely think she'll be in our lives more." I answer honestly. "Callie is willing to put everything aside."

"That's wonderful, dear! I could tell from our conversation out back that something was different about her. I showed her all the pictures of the kids I have on my phone. She apologized to me too."

"There's been a lot of apologies going on lately."

"Speaking of, how are you and Callie?" She asks, taking a seat a on her bed. "Everything better?"

"Yeah, we're good."

"I'm glad." She reaches for her bag and pulls out a folded piece of paper. "So, I've been compiling a list of potential nannies. I found a website that has certified nannies, they are the best of the best. I wrote a few down that I think will be a good fit and added their contact information and a few lines from their online biographies."

"So you're really leaving us, huh?" I sit down beside her and take the list from her.

"It's time, dear. You know I'll be back to visit, but I have things I need to get back to. To be quite honest, I do miss home too. I think it's best if you and Callie develop a routine."

"I know and we appreciate you being here and helping out." I lean in for a hug and she wraps her comforting arms around me.

"Before I leave I'm going to give you and Callie a night off. I'll watch all the kids and you two go out. Watch a movie, go shopping, get something to eat, anything. It's important to get away and remember why you love being married to each other."

"Mom, are you sure? I mean I haven't watched all four kids by myself yet. They're a lot to handle."

"Trust me, I got it. Just don't be gone too long." She chuckles. "I think I'm going turn in. Love you."

"Love you too." I leave her room and make my way down the hallway to my room. When I enter, I notice the bathroom door cracked open so I go check on my wife. The first thing I see is bubbles up to her neck and her head resting back against the tub with her eye closed. "How's it going in here?"

"Mmmm, great." She mumbles. "Care to join?" She sits up and opens her eyes.

"Seriously?"

"Well yeah, you're my wife aren't you?" She reluctantly asks with a smirk. "I promise I don't bite."

"Oh, but I kinda of like it when you do." I flirt back.

"What's that?" She asks pointing to the paper in my hand.

"It's a list of possible nannies my mom made." I pass it to her and begin undressing. "I guess she's been doing some research for us."

"Hm, let's see what we got here….Erin twenty-six, she's been a professional nanny for four years and was with her last family for two and a half years. She's CPR certified, available all days during the week and has a flexible weekend schedule."

"That's good, right?" I get in the large tub across from my wife and immediately relax in the warm, soapy water. "Who else is on the list?"

"Tiffany, she's twenty-five and has been a nanny for three years. She's CPR certified, can prepare lunch and dinner, oh and she speaks Spanish."

"What's her availability?"

"Monday through Thursday all day, and occasional weekends." She reads off. "Next is Sasha. She's thirty-one and been a nanny for eight years. She's CPR certified, she cooks, cleans, and does laundry…."

"We got ourselves a triple threat." I interject.

"…and she knows Spanish and French. She's available all-day Monday through Friday. She even listed three references. I know we won't need to hire anyone until we go back to work, but I like her. We should find out more about her."

"How much are we supposed to be paying these people anyway?"

"I'm not sure." Callie replies, placing the paper to the side. "Like $1,500 a week?"

"Doesn't that seem like a lot?"

"Maybe we should ask them what their rate is."

"That's probably better." I nod. "My mom said she'll watch the kids so we can have a night out."

"A night out…I almost forgot what that was." She laughs.

"It's basically a date. Remember those? We had them all the time." I reach out and pull on her hand to bring her closer to me. "We'd dress up, although we did keep it casual sometimes, and we'd usually get something to eat, some nights we went to a movie, other nights we walked around downtown. Oh, remember when we went bowling with Teddy? That was fun!"

"For you, you kept beating me." She pouts, straddling my legs under the water.

"Who knew I was such a fantastic bowler?" She narrows her eyes at me. "Okay, so I knew I was good, but it was still fun!"

"Yeah, yeah whatever."

"Okay, so maybe we scratch bowling off the list, but think of something else."

"We'll see." Callie quietly pulls away and goes back to the opposite end of the bathtub, it's obvious through her facial expression that she isn't as thrilled about our plans as I am.

"We'll see?"

"Arizona, if you want to go out then that's fine. I just…I don't know." She lets out an exasperated sigh. "Can I at least think about it?"

"Yeah you can think about it," I reply, slightly taken back by her abruptness. "Is everything okay, Calliope?"

"Of course it is." She says unconvincingly. "I think I've been in here five minutes too long." She gets out of the water and grabs her towel, circling it around her body. "I'm going to go peak in on the kids."

"We just put them down." Getting out of the tub, I grab my towel as well. "Hold up, what just happened?"

"Umm, nothing."

"No, something's up, Calliope. Anytime I've brought up something fun to do for us you don't even seem interested anymore. I feel like I have to convince you to do stuff."

"That's not true…" She softy replies shaking her head.

"This whole week you were anxious about the party and going over everything two or three times. Even after my mom confirmed things. You just haven't been like yourself lately. Sometimes I don't know which Calliope I'm waking up to each morning."

"Are you serious?" She scoffs. "You're pretty damn lucky your mom is sleeping in the guest room cause that's where you would be tonight."

"I'm sorry you feel that way, but I'm just trying to help and understand what's going on."

"Well you have a weird way of showing it." Callie walks towards the door and turns around to face me again. "And I swear if I hear you apologize to me one more time, I may actually lose it." Callie walks out of the bathroom an I'm pretty sure if it wasn't as late as it was she would've slammed the door. Something is definitely up with her.

 **Thanks for reading! Some stuff is brewing….**


	36. Chapter 36

I don't own anything…all credit goes to ABC/Shondaland

Chapter Thirty-Six

 **Hope you enjoy!**

Callie's POV

"I'm really glad you decided to come in, Callie. I only saw you that one time when you came in with Arizona months ago. I haven't seen Arizona in a while either." Doctor Thomas says as she closes her notebook. My time with the therapist has come to a close and I'm feeling more relieved than when I came in. Arizona's words from the bathroom two weeks ago really stung me. Ever since I had the twins I haven't been feeling myself. What worried me the most was that I didn't understand all the feelings and emotions I was dealing with. I knew if I didn't start to understand what was going on with me it would cause more strain with Arizona and I, and probably trickle down to how I interact with our kids. "You have a lot going on at home. Especially now with your mother in law gone. It's understandable for you to be feeling everything you're feeling. If you're up for it, I would like for you to come in for another session."

"I think I'd like that. Quite frankly I think I need it." I nervously laugh. "Can you tell me what's wrong with me?" I scoot to the edge of couch and lean forward. "I don't like the way I've been feeling and I…I just want to get back to old self." I finish on the verge of tears. "Is this…" Doctor Thomas picks up on hesitance and nods in understanding.

"Yes, I think you have a mild case of postpartum depression." Hearing her says the words out loud make it real for me and I can't hold back the few tears that fall from my eyes. "Everything you've told me today points to that. The anxiety, irritability, your lack of interest in things that were once fun to you. I want you to hear me when I say this, you are not alone with this. I'm here and there are many support groups. Not to mention your strongest support system, your wife. You just gave life to twins; your body is still all over the place from hormones and emotions."

"So, so how do I get through this?" I wipe my tears away and straighten up. "What can I do?"

"Well there isn't a need for you to go on medication right now. I think coming in and talking with me is a good place to start." She smiles. "Does Arizona know you came in today?"

"Yes. She's at home with the boys right now. I have to pick up Sof and Noah once I leave here."

"If you two can squeeze in some alone time later, I would sit her down and discuss everything we talked about to. Of course you can share as much as you want, but I think the more she knows the more she'll understand."

"Okay. Thank you." I gather my belongings and stand up. "Same time next week?"

"Sounds great. See you later, Callie." On the drive over to the kids camp, I reflect on my therapy session and start going over all the interactions Arizona and I have had lately. I sense I had depression and when I found the pamphlet doctor Caplan gave me weeks ago in my purse it started to set in with me. I was nervous and almost embarrassed to admit it to myself." Once I arrive to the camp, I have to wait in the carpool line, which only gives me time to over analyze myself. I hear my phone buzz and grab it from my bag.

 **"Hey babe, can you pick up some more diapers on the way home. Gabriel just used the last one."**

"Of course. In the carpool line now, will go to the store once I leave here. I was just thinking about you."

 **"Good thoughts?"**

"Yes." I smile. "Be home soon. Love you."

 **"Love you."** She sends another text with the heart emoji. I put my phone away and continue to crawl through the pick-up line.

"Look what I made! Look what I made!" Noah loudly announces getting into the car ten minutes later followed by his sister. Leaning in between the seats, Noah flashes a new piece of artwork in my face. "Do you like it mama?"

"Oh I love it!" I take it from his hands and look it over. "What do we got here? I think I see a turtle, a bird, and a lizard."

"It's a snake, mama." He corrects, sitting back in his seat. "Can we put it in my room?"

"Of course we can. You two buckle up back there." Once I hear their belts buckles click, I drive off towards the grocery store. "Sof, how was your day?"

"Good. I won at tag during recess. I'm the fastest! And me and Taylor switched lunches."

"Sof, you're not supposed to do that. You have allergies and you don't know if Taylor is allergic to anything."

"But she had pasta with red sauce for lunch and brownies!"

"Ooohh brownies. Mama can we make brownies tonight?" Noah asks kicking his feet against his car seat with excitement.

"Yeah, we baked all the time with grandma." Sofia adds.

"I know, I used to sneak down at night and eat what you guys made." I smile to them in the rearview mirror. "We'll see. We have to stop at the store anyway, so maybe I'll pick up some mix. We have to get some diapers for your brothers."

"They cried so much last night. It was super loud."

"I'm sorry, bud. They can't sleep through the night like you and Sof yet."

"It's okay. I still love my baby brothers." His comment warms my heart and leaves a permanent smile on my face for the rest of the ride.

* * *

"I need twenty minutes of reading time from you two before you play with anything!" I call out as the kids run up the stairs once we return home. "Arizona?" I walk further into the house and see Arizona on the floor with the twins getting some much-needed tummy time. I drop the grocery bags on the kitchen counter and join them in the living room. "Looks like we got a little party going on in her here."

"Something like that." My wife answers. I get down on the floor next to her and join our boys. "Hi." Arizona kisses my lips. "How was your session?"

"It was good. I want to tell you about it later."

"Can't wait to hear." She replies kissing my lips again. "We did pretty good here too. Mateo still doesn't like drinking from the bottle, so he's probably hungry. I guess nothing replaces the real thing."

"I mean these are pretty irreplaceable." I quip looking down at my own chest.

"Oh yeah, nothing beats those gems." She laughs. "We got something interesting in the mail." Arizona reaches over to the nearby coffee table and grabs a piece of mail and hands it to me. "It's from the hospital."

Opening the envelope, I pull out a formal invitation. "It's the annual pro bono gala. We usually get these in our mailboxes at work, but since I'm not back yet I guess they sent it to the house."

"We should go. You'll get to see everyone again and help raise money. It's a win-win."

"Yeah…" I reply contemplating it.

"Or not." Arizona quickly follows up. "We don't have to do it. I mean we'll have to get fancy gowns, wear heels, and find a babysitter." I can tell she's just saying so I won't feel guilty for saying no. One of the things I discussed in therapy was trying to get back to doing things I would normally do before the kids.

"No, let's go." I suggest, much to her surprise. "It'll be fun. I'll find a babysitter – oh, we can try out Sasha girl. We'll call her references, have her come in for an interview. If we like her maybe she can watch the kids for a couple of hours. That can be the trial run before we hire her on a more permanent basis."

"Yeah?" She questions with a raised eyebrow. "You sure?"

"Yeah, I'm sure. It's only two hours. You better start looking for something to wear."

"Alright then, I will. It should be a fun night."

"It usually is." I pick up Mateo and stand up. "I'm going to go up and feed him."

"Okay, I'll fill out the RSVP card. Do you want chicken, fish, steak, or pasta?"

"Surprise me." The rest of the afternoon went pretty smoothly. After I finished nursing Mateo, we decided to walk to the neighborhood park. It's not the kids favorite park, but it has swings, slides, and a decent size jungle gym for them to play on. Arizona and I sat on the bench with Mateo and Gabriel as we watched our two oldest run around all over the place. By the time we got back it was time to start preparing for dinner. Halfway through dinner the twins started crying and it was clear they wanted some extra attention tonight, so our family dinner was cut short. Once Arizona and I got them calm, we started getting Noah and Sofia ready for bed with baths and stories.

"Everyone down?" Arizona asks as I come into a nearly cleaned kitchen.

"Yep…well at least for the time being anyway." I take a seat at the kitchen bar and watch my wife dry her hands off with the dish towel. "So about therapy…"

"Uh-huh." Arizona rounds the kitchen bar and takes a seat next to me, turning her attention towards me. "I gotta be honest, I was glad you suggested it. If not, I was going to. I would've proposed talking to me, but communication hasn't been our strong suit lately."

"Arizona, I'm—"

"No," She holds up her hand to stop me. "It's not on you, babe. I'm just pointing it out. You haven't been yourself and I'm not sure what I can do to help. I want to, I really do, but I don't know what you need from me." She confesses truthfully.

"You've been great." I rest a hand on her upper thigh. "I mean besides my whole mother thing, but that turned out to be okay. I explained how I've been feeling and acting and doctor Thomas said what I was thinking for a few days now." I take a deep breath and gather myself. "She believes I have a mild case of postpartum depression. After the twins came I just haven't been the same. And I love them, I do, you know that. I wouldn't trade them for anything, but that pregnancy really did something to me and it's starting to affect me…and I'm having trouble—" My emotions get the best of me and I feel myself starting to cry again.

"Calliope." Arizona says softly. She gets up from her seat and wraps her arms around me tightly. "It's okay, honey. I'm here, I'm right here." My tears come out faster as she rubs my back. "I love you so much, you know that.

"I know…it's just I feel like something is always wrong with me. It's frustrating and annoying. I just want to feel normal again."

"Listen to me, okay?" She pulls back and I can see wetness in her eyes from crying too. "Nothing is wrong with you." She grabs my cheeks firmly and holds my face. "Nothing is wrong with you. You're just going through something. We all go through stuff. We'll get you back to your old self, I promise."

"I just want to be the person you fell in love with. Not this messed up version of me."

"Calliope Torres, you still are the person I fell in love with. Nothing will ever change that." She wraps her arms around me again and we cry together once more. "Whatever you need, babe. I'm here. I'm always going to be here for you."

"I feel like you're always taking care of me." I reply once we break apart.

"Well I am your wife, Calliope." She grins.

"Trust me, I'm so thankful for that, but we should be doing things together. We should be supporting each other."

"We do. Look I'm there for you, you're there for me. It's how this whole marriage thing works. We have plenty of years left together for you to take care of me." She jokes drying her eyes with the back of her hand and pushing my tears away. "Those four kids we have upstairs are going to drive me crazy and push me to the edge, I'm going to need you to be there for me. I can already feel it coming."

"Ha, you and me both. I'm going to get through this and be better for you and the kids."

"I have no doubt, babe. There's no rush. We're all here for you. The kids can't even tell anything is different, I promise. I'm glad we know what we're dealing with, it'll make things easier going forward. What else did doctor Thomas say?"

"She wants me to continue going to her. She thinks some counseling will be good."

"Good. You know me, I love to talk. If you want me to come with you one time I will."

"I may take you up on that." I pull my wife towards me and wrap me arms around her waist. "I love you."

"Mmm, I never get tired of hearing that." She smiles down at me. Her arms wrap around my neck and she leans down to kiss me. We share a few soft pecks until they turn into something deeper. Lucky for me, she's wearing a V-neck shirt, which gives me open access to her chest. She rolls her head back allowing more space to explore with my mouth. I pull her to sit in my lap as I continue to kiss up and down her neck. My hands slide up the back of her shirt and I bring my left hand to the front of and squeeze her breasts. "Callie?" She whispers in my ear.

"Mhmm, what baby?"

"Don't stop." She replies seductively. I pull her shirt off and throw it on the ground. As sexy as the navy-blue bra looks against her skin, it must go. I unhook the material and toss it to the side as well. Her beautiful, pink erect nipples stare back at me and I grab both of her tits with my hands. I rub my thumbs over the nipples as she connects our mouths again. She plunges her warm tongue in my mouth and tightens her hold around my neck. When we part of air, I dip my head down and suck right breast in my mouth. "I've missed you so much, baby." She says rolling her hips over my thighs.

"I want you so bad, Ari." I begin to unbutton her jeans and stand us both up. I push her pants down halfway and she shimmies her way out of them. I cup her ass and connect our lips again as I walk us back towards the couch in the living room. In the few seconds it takes us to reach the couch, she manages to get all of my clothes off me except for my underwear. We fall onto the sofa with her in my lap. She holds my heavy breasts in her hands, looking at me for permission.

"Is this good?"

"So good, baby. Keep doing that." I close my eyes and lean my head back against the couch lost in complete lust.

"You're so sexy, Calliope. I've wanted to have my hands on your so bad."

"You know what I wanted?" I open my eyes and sit up. "My fingers deep inside your wet pussy and your moaning my name." I drip my hand under her thin underwear and push two fingers into her slowly. We moan together in deep pleasure. She rolls her hips and begins riding my fingers. "Damn, you're so wet." Her arousal starts to heavily coat my fingers.

"All of it is for you." I kiss her again and this time our tongues do a slow, sensual dance together. I push a third finger inside of her and continue working them inside of her.

"That's right, Ari. Keep riding me, fuck my fingers baby. You're making me so wet."

"Mhmmm, is that so?" She pulls on my bottom lip before releasing it. "That's sexy."

"You're sexy." I reply pushing deeper into her, making her shut her eyes in pleasure. She pushes my body down so we're laying horizontal on the couch.

"Two can play this game, baby." She slides a hand down between our bodies and cups my wet pussy under my panties. "Mhmm, Callie you feel so good." I can feel my own arousal covering her hand. She runs two fingers through my slit and even pinches my clit, sending pleasure waves through my body.

"I want you inside me." We lock eyes and she pushes three fingers inside of me, making me briefly stop my own fingers moving in her. My mouth hangs open and my breathing increases as she starts working her talented fingers inside me. "Yes right there, Ari!" We both continue to move inside each other, moving faster and harder. I can feel the muscle in my arm straining, but I push through it to bring her as much pleasure as possible.

"I'm about to cum, baby." She rocks faster and faster against my hand. I have a perfect view of her breasts bouncing in front of me and it's one the sexiest thing I've ever seen. Seconds later her orgasm rips through her body and she falls against my chest. "Fuck, that was amazing, baby." She lifts her head up and pecks my lips. "I was not expecting that."

"Neither was I." We pull out of each other and collect our breaths. "I was just in the mood all of a sudden."

"Well I'm glad for that." She laughs.

"Take these off." I say plucking at her underwear. She stands up and turns around so her back is towards me and slowly pulls down her underwear. "This better?"

"Much." She turns to face me and I stare at her stunning naked body. It really is a work of art. Her full breasts, her smooth stomach, her curvaceous thighs and slender legs. All of her is beautiful.

"The same goes for you too." She kneels down and grabs my legs. I sit up and lift my bottom up so she can pull off my underwear. It's then I realize it's my first time being completely naked in front of her since giving birth. She runs her hand over my scar and leans forward to kiss it, easing my self-conscious thoughts without saying a word. "Scoot closer." I move to the edge of the couch and watch as she spreads my legs apart and open for her.

"Arizona…" She lifts my left leg over her shoulder and moves closer to my wet, throbbing center.

"Just relax, baby." I close my eyes and relish the feeling of her kissing my inner thighs and licking my outer lips. Her tongue finds my clit and she flicks it with her pink muscle before sucking in her mouth. One of her hands comes up and kneads my breast while she continues to suck me. Her warm breath on my pussy drives me wild and I push her head down further. She takes one, long lick between my wet lips and looks up at me with a devilish before doing it again.

"Yes, baby, fuck me with your tongue, Ari…shit, that feels amazing." She flicks my clit again and slides two fingers inside me. I nearly cum again with her licking my clit and curling her fingers inside of me.

"Cum for me, Calliope." She mumbles against me. She curls her fingers again at just the right spot and I lose it. A fresh wave of arousal flows through me and my wife's gifted tongue is there to lap all of it up and milk my orgasm to the end.

"Damn, that was good." Arizona proudly smiles removing her head from between my legs. "You have no idea how good you taste." She straddles my lap again and I pull her in for a wild kiss full of tongue.

"I think I have an idea." I reply when we part for air. "You're a master down there."

"I've been a lesbian my whole life, babe. I've become very familiar with the female anatomy, especially yours." She winks at me. "There's nothing sexier than eating my wife out. To be so close and intimate with you…it gets me hot and bothered just thinking about it."

"I'm getting turned on again hearing you talk like that." I rub my hands up and down her arms. "I know we kinda made a mess down here, but let's take this upstairs."

"Mhmm, yes, I like the sound of that." She gets off my lap and pulls me up with her. "Take me to bed, baby."

 **Thanks for reading! Thoughts?**

 **To the person who guessed postpartum depression in the comments, you were reading my mind. :)**


	37. Chapter 37

I don't own anything…all credit goes to ABC/Shondaland

Chapter 37

Arizona's POV

"Honey!" I hear my wife's voice down the hall and I can tell that she's stressed out.

"In the bathroom!" I call back as I run a hairbrush through my hair once more. I'm getting ready to go out with Teddy for a catch-up lunch, leaving my wonderful wife to watch our kids. It's been a month since should opened up to me about her post-partum depression and I can see her slowly coming back to her true self. Her therapy sessions are going well and she's seems happier, but there are a few days when she isn't up to do much and gets down on herself. Overall, things a better and tonight we're going to the hospital gala and it's the first time we've gone out to a formal event in a long time. It'll be nice to have that time together.

"Hey, I need a little help before you head out." Callie says a slightly out of breath as she carries Gabriel and Mateo on her hips. "Can you help Sofia pack for Mark's? I tried to let her have a little freedom and pick her own outfits, but her suitcase is all leggings, leotards, and dolls."

"Sure." I take Mateo from her and give him a kiss on the cheek. "I have some time before I leave. You okay?"

"Yeah there's just a lot to do before we go out tonight and I still have to pack my bag for the trip to Mark's."

"Well you're only going to be there for two days, it shouldn't take long." I reply, trying to ease her concern. "You got it, babe." I give her a kiss on the lips before leaving the bathroom with Mateo and walking down to Sofia's room. "What's happening, girlie?" I ask Sofia sitting down on her bed. Her suitcase is open on the floor and like my wife said, leggings, dolls, and leotards make up most of the luggage.

"Mama said to pack so I'm packing!" She proudly answers. She takes a quick break from throwing things in her bag to stand up and gently rub her brother's back much like we taught her. "Hi baby brother." She says kissing him on his chubby cheek.

"Mateo and I are gonna help you pack, okay? Open your second drawer and get some shorts out. Also, let's take your dolls out the bag—"

"But mommyyy!" She begins to whine.

"Hey, hey, none of that Sof. You can still take them, but we're gonna pack them in your carry on so you have all of them on the plane."

"Oh okay." We go back a forth for fifteen minutes until all of her stuff is packed. I give her a kiss goodbye and head towards the twin's room looking for Callie.

"Hey, Sofia is all packed…whoa, what happened here?" A squirmy Gabriel is laying on the changing table kicking his feet and legs around while Callie is standing in her jeans a bra, with her shirt tossed over her shoulder.

"Oh." Callie briefly looks down at herself. "We just had a little accident. Gabriel couldn't wait for me to secure the diaper." She laughs. "Could you grab me another shirt?"

"Yeah." I pull open a drawer and find an old t-shirt for Callie to put on. "This should work for now. She changes into the new shirt and finishes buttoning Gabriel's onesie. "Babe, it's time for me to head out. Unless you need me to stay, cause I can cancel with Teddy and we can reschedule."

"No, no. It's fine. Go have lunch and catch up, we'll be okay here." She takes Mateo from my arms and carries the boys out of the room downstairs with me following right behind her. "Just make sure you're back in a couple hours. We're meeting Sasha later." After a few reference calls and a phone interview, we decided to go with Sasha as our babysitter. She's coming over later so we can finally meet in person and tonight is like a trial run for her while we go to the hospital gala. It turns out she even babysat Dr. Bailey's son a couple of times, so that helped ease any of our concerns and we're excited to hire her full time. The final test is seeing how she and the kids get along because we have a wild bunch.

"I promise I'll be back in time. Where's Noah?"

"In the basement watching some cartoons." Callie says placing the twin's in their high chairs in the kitchen. "Don't forget to pick up our dresses for tonight."

"I've got a reminder in my phone." I quip back. "I'll pick them on my way home. Call if you need anything."

"Will do. Have fun." Callie pecks my lips goodbye. "Love you."

"Mmm, love you too!" I say giving her another kiss. "Goodbye my babies, mommy loves you." I grab my phone, keys, and purse and head out the door.

* * *

"Callie, babe, I'm home!" I call out entering my house again after a fun lunch with Teddy. "Sorry, lunch ran a little long and then there was a massive line at the dry cleaners, but I finally got our dresses and they look amazing!" I toss my belongings down and lay our dresses down on the living room couch. "Callie?"

"She's upstairs, mommy!" Sofia answers from the dining room. I walk through the kitchen and see Sofia and Noah sitting at the dining room table putting together a puzzle with the help of an unknown blonde who gets up once she sees me.

"Ummm, hi. I'm Arizona." I introduce myself.

"Of course, yes, I'm Sasha!" She offers her hand for a handshake which I happily accept.

"Yeah, Sasha is our new babysitter, mommy." Noah smiles. "We're having puzzle time."

"I see. I'm sorry I'm late. Have you been here long?" I ask surveying the situation.

"I actually got here a little early. Callie seemed busy so I offered to hang out with Sofia and Noah while she handles the twins upstairs. It's so nice to meet you finally. Noah and Sofia are great and the twins are super cute!" She answers with a huge grin. "Callie said once you got here we could talk in the living room."

"That sounds good. I'm just going to go up and check on her."

"No problem. We'll just be here."

"It's your turn, Sasha." Sofia reminds her.

"Okay, well I'll be back." I turn and leave the dining room and make a quick stop in the living room to pick up our dresses and carry them upstairs. "Honey?"

"Our bedroom." She replies.

"So I met Sasha." I comment walking into the room. "She seems nice."

"She really does." Callie replies from the bed where she's nursing our boys. "I mean she actually got Noah and Sofia to sit down and put a puzzle together. You should've seen it, when I introduced her to Noah and Sof she put her hand out for a little handshake, but Noah went straight for a hug. I know it's early, but I think he's smitten. He's got like a little crush."

"He five. I'm doubt her really understands what a crush even is." I walk into our closet and hang up our dresses.

"I know, that's what makes it cute." Callie chuckles. "How was lunch?"

"Good, really good. I miss Teddy so it's always nice when we can catch up. We tried to do that thing where we don't talk about the kids, but we ended up sharing baby stories practically all lunch."

"Surprise you're not still there, that can go on for hours." Walking back towards the bed, I lay down next to my wife and prop my head up on the pillows as our boys continue to drink up.

"Babe, look at their hair. It's growing so much." I carefully brush Gabriel's brown hair with my hand.

"I know, I love it."

"Me too. So first impression of Sasha, do we like her?"

"I really do. I mean she got glowing references, she has the Bailey stamp of approval and the kids took to her easily. If tonight goes well I think we should hire her. What do you think?"

"I'm feel the same way. She's a little…"

"A little what?" Callie asks, directly looking me in the eyes.

"You know…perky." My wife bites her lower lip trying not to laugh too hard. "What?"

"Babe, you are literally the same way."

"I am not!" I feign hurt.

"Oh honey, I love you so much, but you are such a perky person. It's one of the many reasons why I love you."

"I am no-" She raises an eyebrow at me. "Okay, I can be. I used to be, but I'm not that perky anymore. Four kids kinda drains the energy out of you."

"Fair enough, speaking of draining. I think they've had enough." Callie passes me the boys while she fixes her shirt. "It's time for their nap."

"You stay here. I'll go put them down." I carry Mateo and Gabriel back to their room and sit with them for a few minutes before putting them in their cribs. "They went down easily." I announce coming back into our bedroom. I notice the bathroom door open with the light on and Callie standing in front of the mirror. "You've got your dress on. It looks great!" I smile entering the en suite.

"No, I don't. It doesn't fit right." Callie answers defeated. "It doesn't even zip up anymore."

"Hold on a sec, let me try." I step behind my wife and try the zipper again. It takes a little more effort, but I finally get it all the way up. "See."

"No." Callie shakes her head and reaches behind herself and unzips its. "It's too tight and it feels uncomfortable."

"Okay, well you have other dresses in the closet. You can just wear something else." I offer lightly.

"None of those dresses have been to the cleaners and they are the same size as this dress. I'm not that size anymore. I haven't lost all this damn baby weight and I may never be that size again." She responds frustrated. She takes off her dress and tosses it to the side and faces me. "We're not going tonight."

"Callie…"

"No, we're not going. I have nothing to wear and I honestly don't want to get dressed up anyway. I'll just write a check for a donation, but we're not going."

"Fine. We don't have to go, but we are going out tonight. We finally have a babysitter and we owe ourselves a night out. I don't care if it sounds selfish, but I want a night out with my wife. You can pick what we do, but we're doing something tonight." I state firmly. I'm not going to let a dress ruin our night. "And for the record, you look amazing."

"Arizona…" She says with an eye roll.

"Listen honey, you do look amazing. So your dress doesn't fit right now, that's fine. If you want to lose more weight and work out, I'll support you and even make you yucky, green smoothies in the morning." I joke. "But don't feel like you have to. Most importantly is that you're completely healthy. One of my favorite pairs of jeans I had stopped fitting me after I had Noah. Even when I lost weight they didn't fit the same. I was mad for like five minutes then got over it and got a new pair of jeans."

"I know which pair you're talking about. I liked those jeans."

"Tell me about it. They made my ass look fantastic."

"Mm, they did, but all your jeans do, so." She answers jovially.

"And most importantly, "I take a step closer to her, clearly invading her personal space. "I'm one hundred percent completely still very much attracted to you. I have the sexiest wife on earth and nothing will ever change that." Running my hands down her sides, I grab her thighs and lift her up on the counter.

"Oh really?"

"Most definitely." I reply and latch onto her neck for a kiss. My hands move over her naked thighs as she wraps her legs around me and pulls us closer. "I love you so much, Calliope." I whisper against her smooth skin. "And I want you so bad." Looking up, I grab the back of her neck and pull her in for a passionate kiss. One hand moves down to slip into her underwear to caress her pussy.

"Arizona, we can't." She reluctantly says pulling away. "My boobs feel all weird after breastfeeding and we have Sasha downstairs. We need to talk to her."

"We have time. Just a quickie, babe. Right here in the bathroom. We're pros at this."

"I know, but not now." She grabs my face to make me look at her. "I promise it'll be worth the wait." She gives me one last kiss before unwrapping her legs and getting off the counter.

"You're leaving me hot and bothered woman." I say as she walks out of the room.

"Just the way I like it." She yells back.

* * *

"So what kind of food do you cook?" Callie asks fifteen minutes into our conversation with Sasha in the living room.

"Pretty much anything. I grew up in a cooking household so I picked up a lot. The last family I worked for ate chicken, spaghetti, tacos, fish, all kinds of fruits and vegetables. I'm good with a lot of food. I also understand kids sometimes want different things so I'm comfortable making two different meals."

"Oh that's good. We're trying to cut back on that though. The kids usually just eat whatever Callie or I make. And you're comfortable with young kids like our three-month-old twins?"

"Yes, completely comfortable. I've never watched twins before, but I've been with a family that had a newborn."

"That's good, that's good." Callie nods her head. "I think we'll put them in daycare at my job because it's free and I like being able to go check up on them whenever I want, but it's good to know that you're good with twins."

"Yeah, we're really just looking for someone to look after the kids after school. Once Callie goes back to work she'll get off around six or seven and I usually leave my job around four, but having someone here to watch them will allow me to stay a little longer and catch up on stuff."

"I completely understand."

"Well Arizona and I really like you and you have great references and come highly recommended. Do you have any questions for us?"

"Not at the moment, I think you answered a lot of them during the phone interview. You guys seem to have a great family and I'm really happy to be working for you."

"Thank you." Callie answers. "I'm sure after one of the kids throws a tantrum you might have a different thought." She says making us laugh. "We should he heading out around 7:30 tonight, so you can come by around 7 or 7:15ish. We don't want to take up all of your Saturday."

"Cool, sounds good." She gathers her bag and stands up. "I'll see you guys later!" We walk her to the door and wave bye to her.

"I can't believe we actually found a babysitter." Callie says to me after I close the front door. "I hope she likes us."

"She does cause we're awesome. Let's go tell the kids." We head downstairs to the basement where Sofia and Noah are sitting in the big movie theater style chairs. "Did you guys like Sasha?"

"Yup, yup!" They both answer while keeping their eyes glued to the television screen. "Is she coming back?" Sofia asks.

"Yeah, she's going to watch you guys tonight when mama and I go out." I reply, putting an arm around my wife's waist.

"Where you guys going?" Noah asks finally looking at us.

"We don't know yet, we have to figure that out." I say looking at my wife. "Where should we go, babe?"

 **Thanks for reading!**

 **AN: SUPER SORRY for the long delay. Writer's block plus a busy schedule isn't a good mix. I know this chapter isn't as long as they usually are, but I wanted to get something up. Any recommendations for date night? Should go they out and do something different or should Callie hit the mall real quick and find a dress and go to the hospital gala? Let me know your thoughts! Also, thanks for all the PM's checking up on me. I'm good, just very busy.**

 **Like a said a few chapters ago, the story is coming to an end soon, so if there is something you want to see let me know and I'll try to write it in.**


	38. Chapter 38

I don't own anything…all credit goes to ABC/Shondaland

Chapter 38

Callie's POV

 **Hope you enjoy!**

***TIME JUMP***

Fall is definitely in the air and for the Torres family that means Arizona and I back at work, the kids back in school, and cramming in any fun activities we want to do as a family on the weekends. Fall also brings some scheduled normalcy back into our lives and Sasha has helped with that. Ever since Sofia came back from visiting Mark and the kids starting school again, she's been extremely helpful in the afternoons and early evenings while Arizona and I are still at work. The kids love her, she always has dinner ready to go when I come back from work or Arizona is too tired to cook, plus she's extremely handy around the house. Besides all the usual stuff, she fixes every little thing in the house. A loose cabinet? She fixes. A missing screw? She finds a new one. A blown lightbulb? She replaces it. All in all, she's great and is making our life a tad bit easier, which is all we could ask for.

"I'm home." I announce with a dejected sigh walking through the front door of the house with Mateo's carrier in one hand and Gabriel's in the other. "Something smells good."

"Miss Sasha cooked again." Sofia answers when I walk into the kitchen and see the pans on the stove. I peak into the dining room and see Sof and her brother at the table working on some school assignment. The moment I put the twins the car when I left work they passed out, so I carefully put their carriers on the counter and let them rest. I go to the nearest cabinet and pull out a wine glass. I grab an already opened bottle of white wine from the fridge and pour myself a hefty glass. As a return the bottle, I glance at the bottles of breast milk I pumped earlier and quietly praise myself for doing that so I can drink tonight. I take a long sip of my wine and walk into the dining room, kissing each kid on the head.

"How was school?" I ask taking another sip of wine. Today was not a good day. I lost two patients within three hours. That rarely happens to me and I hate myself for it. In both cases I couldn't have done much to save them, they were both extra circumstances, but I hate letting people die and telling their families is always the hardest part.

"Good. I saw Noah at recess and we played tag. Girls versus boys."

"The boys won." Noah smiles proudly when he looks up from his assignment.

"Whatever. You guys got lucky." Sofia jabs back. "Can we have dinner now? I'm hungry."

"I don't see why not. Where's mommy?" I ask.

"Upstairs with Sasha. Mommy's leaving."

"Oh right. She has back to school night at work. Let me go check on her then I'll make you guys some plates. Listen out for your brothers."

"Okay." They reply in unison. Glass in hand, I head up the stairs to the bedroom. When I get to the room I noticed it empty, but two voices come from the bathroom.

"I like this one."

"Hmmm, I like the other one better." I hear Sasha's reply.

"You're right. The other one is better." Arizona answers as I get closer to the bathroom. Just as I arrive I see Sasha unzipping my wife's dress from behind and helping her out of it. Arizona, with a matching navy-blue bra and panty set, just looks ahead in the mirror not bothered by anything.

"Um excuse me." Surprised and a little peeved, I knock on the door making my appearance known. "What is going on here?"

"Calliope, baby, you're home! Drinking already?" Her eyes land on my glass. "Sasha is helping me get ready for back to school night. I couldn't decide what to wear." She replies normally, as if she isn't nearly naked in front of our baby sitter.

"I see." I look to Sasha and she hands Arizona another dress without making eye contact with me. "Sasha would you mind fixing Noah and Sof their dinner plates, please?"

"Of course. Right away, Callie." She gives Arizona a small smile and me as well as she walks out of the bathroom. I close the door behind her and Arizona continues to get dressed.

"Seriously, Arizona? What the hell was that?"

"She was helping me!" My wife replies innocently. "I needed to get ready for tonight and I couldn't decide what to wear."

"You just had you ass and tits out in front of our baby sitter!"

"Oh Callie calm down." She looks at me like I'm the crazy one. "Nothing was going on. You and I both know that. Stop trying to imply something."

"Huh, okay. So next time I can't decide what to wear I'll just call up Sasha and strip in front of her while I try on different outfits." I finish with another sip. "She's attractive, you're attractive. It just made me uncomfortable and as your wife I'm allowed to have these feelings."

"So you think she's attractive?" She asks with a lowered voice and eyeing me in the mirror. "I didn't know that."

"Don't turn this around on me. I just mean she's a pretty girl. I'm sure she doesn't have many issues finding a date."

"Hm." Is all she replies. I step closer to my wife and place my glass on the counter. "You look beautiful, babe."

"Thank you." She grins in return. "If I didn't know any better, I would say you were a little jealous."

"Me? Jealous? No. I was just uncomfortable with what I saw."

"Noooo, I think you were jealous. There's nothing to be jealous of, babe. She was just helping me. We're all girls, we have the same parts." She laughs. "No biggie."

"Um, yes biggie, Arizona." Hearing the sternness in my voice, she stops combing her hair in the mirror and turns to face me. "That wasn't cool or funny to me. Sasha should've never seen you like that."

"Calliope, I'm sorry. I honestly didn't think it was a big deal. I told her I was looking for something to wear and she offered to help. I didn't make her do anything. It was one thousand percent innocent."

"A patient threw up on me today and I went into the bathroom to change scrubs. Perhaps next time I'll step into Jordan's office and change there. It's all innocent, right?" I throw back. As soon as the words leave my mouth I regret them. That was such a stupid thing to say and by the look on my wife's face I know she agrees.

"Low fucking blow, Calliope." Stepping around me to leave the bathroom, I follow her into the bedroom and sit on the bed as she goes about trying on different shoes.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean that. I'm just annoyed. I had a bad day and coming home to find my wife almost naked with our babysitter didn't help."

"We all have bad days, but we don't say stupid hurtful things to each other."

"You're right. I'm really am sorry, Arizona."

"And I'm sorry you had a bad day. Normally, we'd eat dinner, try and put the kids down early and talk about it in bed, but I have to go. Maybe the kids will go down easy and you can curl up, watch a show, and have some more wine. I'll try and be back as soon as I can."

"Go be you and be awesome." I reply cheerfully, trying to get on her good side again. "All the parents will love you."

"I hope so." She gives me a peck on the lips and moves out of my embrace, but I pull her back in by the waist and kiss her longer. I pull her down on top of me, but she quickly pulls away. "Honey, I don't have time for this. Plus, you're going to mess up my make up."

"I just love you, that's all."

"I love you too. Now I have to leave. I'll see you tonight." She stands up and flattens out her dress.

"I'll wait up."

"You always do. And please get Sof and Noah in bed on time. Where are the twins?"

"Downstairs sleeping. You can give them a kiss on the way out." Okay, so maybe I was a little jealous, but who wouldn't be? I have an insanely hot wife and a young babysitter. It's like the beginning of a romantic lesbian affair novel. I'm not having that in my house and with my family.

Switching out of my work clothes, I return downstairs in more comfortable lounge wear and see my two oldest kids chatting away at the table.

"Mama, come eat with us!" Noah waves me over into the dining room.

"One second baby, I need to talk to Sasha in the kitchen." Sasha stops cleaning the counter tops and looks at me.

"Sofia and Noah are both on the first plates. Noah wanted milk and Sofia wanted apple juice. After Arizona kissed the twin's goodbye I took them upstairs to their room and put them down so they could continue to rest. I can fix you a plate for before I leave if you'd like."

"Don't worry about it, I got it." I wave her off. "About upstairs…"

"Oh I didn't mind at all. Sometimes we all need help getting dressed and picking out outfits." She smiles brightly. "It was fun."

"I'm sure," I start with a little eye roll. "but it just felt awkward and a little uncomfortable."

"Not for me at all." She quickly responds.

"Well for me it was. Next time if my wife needs help tell her to call me. Or maybe offer a few suggestions and leave the room."

"I seriously didn't mind at all. It was like helping my sister of a best friend of mine get ready." She quickly replies again. Clearly she isn't getting the polite hint I'm trying to give her.

"That's the thing. She isn't your sister or a friend, she's my wife. She was in a state of undress and I don't think it was appropriate for you to be around, no matter how innocent or friendly it was." This time she doesn't answer right away, but takes in the seriousness of my tone and reflects on it.

"I'm so sorry you felt that way. It was not my intention at all. I love this family and your adorable kids. I wouldn't want to compromise any of that. It will never happen again, Callie. I'm truly sorry." She replies sincerely.

"Thank you. I've got it the rest of the night. Thanks for your help. We'll see you tomorrow."

"Of course." She gathers her purse off the nearby stool and takes her keys out. "Sorry you tomorrow Sofia and Noah."

"Bye Miss Sashaaaaa!" The call out while waving.

* * *

"So glad you waited up for me." My wife giggles in my ear sarcastically, waking me from my light slumber. I look at the nightstand clock and realize it's a little after nine.

"I put the kids down and started looking up the adoption paperwork for the twins, I must've dozed off." Arizona takes my laptop off my tap and puts it down in a nearby chair. "The wine probably helped too."

"How much did you have?" She comes back over to me and turns around, signaling she wants my help unzipping her dress. I sit up and swing my legs over the edge of the bed.

"One glass."

"Really?" She throws me an incredulous look over the shoulder.

"Okay, maybe two more after I put everyone down." I confess. I unzip the dress and it falls down around to feet. Before she can step away, I grab onto her hips and pull her back closer towards me. I place a kiss on her lower back, just above her sexy underwear. "Wine makes me handsy too." My hands move to her ass and I firmly grab both of her ass cheeks, massaging her perfect rear.

"I guess you don't want to talk about your bad day."

"Mmm, I rather not." I pull down her underwear and knead her warm flesh with my hands. "I'd much rather get lost in you tonight and forget about it." I kiss her lower back again and move my left hand around to her front and lower it to graze over the small patch of blonde curls covering her pussy. "Do you know how sexy you are?"

"Oh I do. I have a wonderful wife who tells me all the time." She flirts back, slowly grinding herself against my hand for more contact. "I want more, baby."

"Yeah?"

"Damnit, Calliope." She moans and grinds herself faster against my hands.

"Turn around." I demand. She turns around to face me and we lock eyes. I lean forward and kiss her blonde patch of curls.

"It's all for you, baby." She says looking down at me. "I want you inside me."

"It would absolutely be my pleasure." I slip two fingers inside of her and she bites her lower lip at the feeling of me inside her. Her pussy is so velvety and soft, it feels amazing around my fingers. With each passing second she's getting wetter and wetter as her breathing increases.

"Fuck that feels amazing." She lets out in a soft voice. I push harder and deeper inside of her, making sure I hit all her spots. She puts one hand on my shoulder to steady herself.

"Feel good, Ari?" I ask rhetorically. "I love it when you get this wet." I slowly pull out, her juices covering my fingers. "Damn, that's sexy." I say looking at my glistening fingers. I plunge back into her hard. "Take off your bra." She quickly unfastens her last piece of garment and tosses aside, leaving me with an eyeful of bountiful breasts. I can tell by the look in her eye she wants more, we both do. I pull out again, this time grabbing her by the waists and spinning her around back on the bed. I hover over her and move down her body to her spread open legs. "I can't want to taste you."

"Have a preview." She brings two of her own fingers down to her now dripping pussy and gets them wet. She puts them in front of my mouth and I greedily lick them off, salivating at her unique, sweet taste.

"You, my love, are my favorite thing in the whole wide world to eat." I lower my head and take a long lick of her wet slit with my tongue. She moans loudly and I do it again. I love the sounds she makes and that I'm the one making her do that. I flick her clit with my tongue before sucking it into my mouth."

"Shit, shit, shit…keep doing that, baby. Oh yes!" She screams. I continue to lick up all the juices coming out of her. I stiffen my pink muscle and thrust it inside of her moving it all around. Her longs tighten around my head trying to keep me in place. "Don't stop…"

* * *

"I had a feeling you two would be up tonight. You took an early nap." I whisper in hush tones to Mateo and Gabriel as I try to rock them back to sleep. I only got a few hours of sleep after pleasuring my wife before I heard their cries through the baby monitor. Deciding to let my wife rest some more, I snuck out of bed and came down to the twin's room. "Alright, mama is a little tired of pacing around the room, let's have a seat." I sit down and adjust them in my arms so they are more comfortable.

"Want some help?" Arizona softy asks coming into the room a few minutes later with a robe tied around her.

"I left you sleeping."

"I know, but I heard you get up to get them and I didn't get so see my boys much today." Walking further into the room, she takes Gabriel from my arms and sits in the chair next to me cuddling our son.

"While I was driving to the school event tonight I thought about what happened earlier." She begins, breaking the calm silence. "It was wrong. I didn't think much of it and maybe that was the problem. I've changed in front of Teddy, your sister, friends, but it wasn't right to put Sasha in that position or you. And while a little jealousy can be flattering, I never want you to be jealous of me with someone else. You're my wife. You're the only person I want to spend my life with, and you never have to worry about anyone else coming between us."

"I trust you, Arizona. I do. I also understand that compromising positions can lead to uncharacteristic decisions and it just surprised me seeing you two in the bathroom. I'm sorry again for the Jordan comment."

"We have to promise to stop hitting below the belt during an argument. I know I've made some uncalled-for comments about you and Mark in the past and it's not right or fair. I trust you too, and I know you didn't mean it." We sit in a comfortable silence with the boys who just seemed as wide awake as ever. "I think they're up for good, babe."

"I know. That nap messed up their sleep schedule. It's okay, it just means more time with them today." Lifting up Mateo I kiss both of his chubby cheeks that earns me a drool-filled grin. "So how was back to school night?"

"The usual. Some anxious parents, some parents who look like they were dragged there by their spouses. Also, plenty of talkative parents who asked a million questions."

"I bet you answered all of their questions like a pro." I get up and start pacing around the room with Mateo.

"Of course I did." I can see her big smile even in the dark room. "Baby switch?"

"Baby switch." I nod as Arizona gets up and we exchange babies carefully.

"Hey." Placing a hand on my arm, my wife brings herself closer to me. "I love you."

"I love you too." We share a kiss and continue pacing around the room in opposite directions.

"So tell me about what happened today."

"Ehhh, I rather not." I grimace, not wanting to relieve the events that happened hours ago at the hospital. "But I can tell you who I accidently caught in an on-call room."

"Oooohh, I love your hospital gossip. So much drama happens there."

"Tell me about it."

 **Thanks for reading!**

 **One more chapter and then the epilogue!**


	39. Chapter 39

I don't own anything…all credit goes to ABC/Shondaland

Chapter 39

Hope you enjoy!

Arizona's POV

"I need you guys to finish up your breakfast. We're leaving in ten minutes." With an energetic Gabriel in one arm and my daily cup of coffee in my other hand, I urge Sofia and Noah to eat up before we leave for school. Not to be outdone by his twin brother's morning energy, Mateo is happily playing with a few toys in his highchair.

"Can I have bacon?" Noah asks after loudly clanking his spoon against his cereal bowl. "I want bacon."

"We don't have time for bacon. Besides, you love Cheerios." I smile while taking another sip of my morning caffeine.

"Is mama home?" Sofia inquires after scarfing down another spoonful of cereal.

"She is, she came in late last night. She was super tired, but she made sure to peak into both of your rooms and give you kisses goodnight." Callie had been at the hospital thirty-six hours straight working on a difficult case. Luckily, she has the day off and can spend it catching up on some much-needed rest when she's not busy with the twins. "Also, mama will be picking you up from school this afternoon."

"What about Sasha?" Noah follows up.

"Sasha is coming by later to watch you guys tonight while mama and I are out." Tonight is a special night for me and Calliope. It's the day we went down to city hall and got legally married. It was also the same night I told Callie I was pregnant with Noah. All in all, it was a very special and emotional day for us.

"Mmmm, I smell coffee!" Callie says walking down the stairs and into the kitchen. Noah bolts out of his chair and runs to greet her. "Ohhh my big boy, I missed you so much, buddy!" Callie playfully tosses Noah in the air before setting him down on the ground again. "Are you and your sister ready for school?"

"Yup and mommy said you're picking us up today. Can we get ice cream?"

"Maybe. That's only if mommy says you guys were good for her while I was at work." Callie winks at me and picks up Mateo from his seat before grabbing a mug from the cabinet.

"Tell her mommy!" Noah begs with his sister looking on.

"Well they did eat their vegetables and go to bed on time…" I drag out much to Sofia and Noah's dismay. "….and they both completed their reading and math homework. So I think they deserve a sweet treat after school."

"Yes!" They cheer in unison.

"Okay, if both of you are done I need to see shoes on those feet, please!" They hop down from their seats and scurry to put on their school shoes. "Hi. How'd you sleep? I tried to let you sleep in as long as possible."

"I know, I appreciate it baby, thank you." Dressed in mix-match pajamas and her long, brunette hair tossed up in a messy bun atop her head, she grabs the coffee pot, but my hand stops her from pouring anything.

"No caffeine yet. You need to feed Mateo and Gabriel. We ran out of breastmilk last night and I had to give them formula."

"They hate formula."

"Trust me, I know." Passing her Gabriel, I fill my travel mug up with more coffee. "Okay, I got to get them dropped off. If you're up for it, we could really use a grocery run."

"Consider it handled." Callie nods. "I'm excited for date night, babe."

"Me too." I reply pecking her lips. "I love you."

"I love you too." She leans down to capture my lips for another kiss and this lasts a little longer. Our mouths open slightly to deepen the kiss and it quickly ends when I feel little fingers hit my cheeks. "They want kisses too."

"I see. Mommy loves you." I plant a big kiss on Mateo's cheek. "And mommy love you too my sweet boy." I plant the same kiss on Gabriel's cheek. "Sofia! Noah! Let's go!"

"Have a good day at work, babe."

"Thanks, I'll see you guys later."

* * *

"…thank you so much for that presentation Britney, good work." The entire class claps for Britney as she takes her poster presentation down and returns to her seat. "Okay, who's next?" All the students try not to make eye contact with me in hopes that I won't call on them. "Anybody? Don't all volunteer at once." I sarcastically add. "Okay then how about Mi—"The bell rings and everyone starts to get up.

"Saved by the bell. Please, the remaining students be ready to present on Monday! Also, read the next three chapters in the textbook. We're having a quiz next week. Have a good weekend everyone!" After all the kids file out of my classroom, I grab a couple of papers and weave my way through the sea of students until I get to the supply room. Once inside I see Jill, a math teacher and all around nice girl just finishing up with the copy machine. "How's it going, Jill?"

"Oh hey Arizona, I'm good. It's Friday, so that's always a good thing."

"Any big plans for the weekend?" I load up the copier with my papers and wait for them to print off.

"Actually my husband and I are trying one of those wine and art classes. It's BYOB and an instructor teaches you a new art skill. We signed up for the canvas painting class."

"Well that sounds fun. Let me know how that goes."

"I will. What about you, busy weekend?"

"With four kids it always is." I laugh.

"And they are all so young. My Susan is thirteen now and doesn't want to be in the same room with me or her dad. She has a sleepover tonight and is beyond thrilled. Speaking of kids, your twin boys are just adorable!" She gushes to me. "And those matching overalls, just the cutest things I've ever seen. I love it when twin's dresses alike, especially as babies."

"Thank you." I collect my papers off the copy machine and then it hits me. When has Jill seen my boys in overalls? "Wait, when did you see Mateo and Gabriel?"

"Oh just a few minutes ago, hun. I was walking past the lobby and I saw your wife with the double stroller. You didn't know she was here?"

"Um, no. I'll be back." As I walk down the hallway I cheek my pockets for my phone, but then I remember I'm wearing a skirt and I left my phone on silent in my purse. I pick up my face and head towards the front of the school where the lobby is.

"Arizona, your wife is here." Margaret, our school secretary informs me when I talk through the glass double doors of the school lobby.

"Thank you." I smile back. "Calliope, what are you doing here? Is everything okay?" I look at the twin's in the stroller and they look just fine.

"Oh hey!" She smiles looking up from her phone, now dressed in jeans and a t-shirt. "Yeah, everything is great! I actually stopped by on my way to store. I was looking through the fridge for stuff to get and I saw you left your lunch." She pulls a plastic container from her bag. "I thought you might need it."

"Thanks, I didn't even realize I left it. I could've just gotten something from the cafeteria."

"It's no problem. I tried texting, but you didn't answer so I just decided to stop by. I got here and realized I've only been here like three times and I have no clue where your office is, so I was just going to wait until all the students were back in classrooms before I pushed this big stroller down the hallway. Wait….why don't you look happy to see me?" She frowns.

"I'm just surprised that's all. Thanks for bringing my lunch though." I take the container from her.

"I packed some snacks in the baby bag. Do you want to have lunch together?" She happily offers.

"I can't, I have another class that starts in two minutes then I have my lunch break."

"Well I don't mind waiting. We can wait in your office for you." She suggests.

"I don't have an office. I mean I do, but it's shared with other teachers in the department. I have a classroom, but it's filling up with teenagers as we speak. Today just isn't a good day for lunch. I'm sorry." I reply sensing her disappointment.

"It's okay, I understand. We'll just keep it moving. See you at home." She leans in for a kiss, but at the last second I turn and her lips end up on my cheek."

"Arizona, you did not just cheek me." She scoffs vaguely offended. "Since when do you—"

"Not at school, Calliope." I interject softly leaning into her. "This is different. It's not like the hospital and your colleagues there."

"What are you talking about? We kiss all the time at my job."

"Exactly, it's a little more accepting there. Besides, you have an office so it's more private. People here obviously know about you and us, but the last thing I need is some complaint filed against me by some parent because their kid saw me kiss you at work and now think the school is pushing some gay agenda or whatever. Some of these students have super conservative parents."

"Okay, fine. I don't want to cause any trouble."

"Thanks for stopping by and brining me my food." I bend down and kiss Mateo and Gabriel on the forehead. "I love you guys."

"You know if someone did file a complaint we could file a lawsuit back." Callie says still a little peeved about earlier.

"That's not want anybody wants."

"Well I want to be able to kiss my wife at work without a threat of a possible complaint."

"Now is not the time, Calliope, okay? I have to go." The bell rings and it's the signal that the next period has already started. "I'll see you at home." I hurry down the hall to return to my classroom. "Presentation time, everyone!"

"Wait, were those your twins the in lobby earlier, Mrs. Torres?" A student asks.

"Yep, Mateo and Gabriel stopped by for a quick visit." I put my lunch container and papers down on my desk and stand before the classroom.

"They are sooo cute!"

"Thanks. Okay, who wants to—"

"Hold up, I did see a hot Latin chick in the lobby when I was walking over here. Is that your wife?"

"Yes Justin, it is."

"Way to go, Mrs. Torres. She's hot!" Justin fists bumps Peter and they share a moment while the other students laugh.

"Okay, okay enough." I try to move the class pass my personal life.

"I mean you're hot too, Mrs. Torres." Justin adds.

"Totally!" Peter calls out.

"You know since you have so much to say, Justin how about you present first."

"I totally would, but I didn't do it." He unashamedly replies.

"Why am I not surprised, Justin?" Shaking my head, I move back to my desk and sit down. "It's due on Monday and I'm knocking you five points for not having it in class. Peter, you're up!"

* * *

"Calliopeeee!" I sing out upon entering the house. I step out of my heels and make my way into the kitchen. "It's been so long since I've seen you cooking in the kitchen. I miss it." Leaning against a wall, I grin watching my wife work her way around the kitchen. She lowers the flame under the big pot and turns around, returning a big smile.

"I've missed it too. I'm making a big pot of chili for tonight. Although it's a shame we're going out because I think I made a really good pot this time." She wipes her hands on a towel and wraps her hand around my waist. "Who am I kidding? I always make good chili." She boasts proudly. "I just fed the twin's and they are down for a nap. Sofia and Noah are playing in their rooms, and there's a bottle of wine chilling in the fridge. I thought we should share one glass before we head out for our dinner. I mean it is technically is our anniversary after all." She smirks.

"It is and I like the sound of that, but there's one thing I want to do first." Pushing myself off the wall, I gradually walks towards my wife.

"Yeah?" She cocks her head to the side in question.

"Come here." I pull her in by the neck and lay a big kiss on her plump lips. "I'm sorry for earlier."

"Don't be." She murmurs against my mouth. She lifts me up to sit on the nearby countertop and I pull her in to stand between my legs. Our lips connect again and this time I slide my tongue into her mouth and it dances with her warm tongue. As we continue our languid, slow kiss I hook my legs around her thighs, inching my skirt up and bring her closer to me. I unbutton her jeans and slip my hands under all the offending material and claim my stake on her sexy rear.

"I'm pretty sure we can't do this at school."

"Oh I'm certain we can't do this at school." She plays back. "I'm so glad I married you."

"Me too." I reply. "Do me a favor and don't wear any underwear tonight."

"And why is that?" She flirts back knowingly.

"Because it'll be one less thing to take off tonight. Also…" I lean forward and whisper in her ear, "I want to be to slide my fingers inside you whenever I want." I squeeze her ass for added measure and her lips latch onto my neck. "And you know what else?" I let out a deep sigh feeling her soft lips on my skin. "I can't wait to feel your naked breasts against mine tonight."

"Jesus, Ari." She murmurs against me.

"You know it turns me on when you call me Ari, Calliope."

"Maybe that's what I want." She looks back at me with a raised eyebrow. "I could take you right fucking now." She growls at me seductively and runs her hands up and down my thighs and lowers her head to kiss my chest. "This shirt is getting in the way of what I really want to do." She raises her head and kisses me passionately again, gliding her tongue against mine. I push my hands under the front of her shirt and up to her bra-encased breasts.

"I just love the way your breasts feel in my hands, baby." I comment when we break for air.

"I love it when your hands are on them, baby." She nips at my lower lip. "All for you, Ari. You're the only one." I can tell I've got my wife really worked up. As much as I want her right now, I want to wait until tonight when we can have uninterrupted time together to celebrate our anniversary intimately.

"Just wait until tonight." I remove my hands from her shirt and loosely wrap my arms around her neck. "It's just going to be me and you."

"Damnit, you're right. Waiting is good. This was just a preview."

"Exactly, a preview. Like the things they show in the movies." Dropping my arms, she steps back so I can hop off the counter. She buttons her jeans while I straighten out my skirt.

"Well if I'm going panty-less then so are you."

"Deal." I smirk back. "Now you get back to that chili. I need to figure out what I'm wearing tonight."

Hours later, I descend down the stairs dressed in my olive green. I check myself over once more in the hallway mirror. I hear the television on in the living room where Sasha is playing with Mateo and Gabriel.

"You look really pretty, mommy." Sofia walks over to me carefully while wearing my heels for the evening.

"Thank you, sweetie." Looking down at her, I easily lift her up out of my shoes. "You are way too young to be wearing heels, Sof."

"I know, but you and mama wear them. Can I get a pair?"

"Sure." She smiles. "But when you're twenty." Her face drops.

"Twenty? That's so old." Her innocence makes me laugh.

"You know I'm much older than twenty, right?"

"Of course, mommy." She says rolling her eyes. "You and mama are old." She deadpans.

"Just wait, you'll be our age one day." Callie answers walking down the stairs. I barely hear her words because I'm struck by her gorgeous outfit. She has on a maroon colored dress, which I'm pretty sure is new, and it's doing great wonders for her figure. Diamond stud earrings shine brightly and the soft curls she has in her hair bounce lightly as she continues to make her way down. Simply put, my wife is beautiful and I'll never forget how lucky I am to have her and call her mine. "You might want to put those on, Arizona." She points to my shoes. I break my daze and slip on my black pumps.

"You. Are. Stunning." I purposely got ready while my she was in the shower so we didn't see each other's outfits. When we finally stand face to face, I can't help but continue to marvel over my wife. "I'm the luckiest woman in the world right now." She blushes and waves it off. "I'm serious, Calliope."

"Thank you, that's very sweet of you. You look amazing too." She eyes my body up and down. I even put on my big engagement ring for the special occasion.

"Are you two leaving now?" Sofia breaks our sweet moment.

"Why? Are you trying to throw a party?" Callie jokes. She pulls her phone out of her clutch. "It's 7:15, we're leaving in fifteen minutes." The doorbell rings and Callie looks at me. "Are we expecting someone?"

"I don't know." I knowingly lie. She passes me her clutch while she goes to open the door.

"Hi. I've got a flower delivery for Callie Torres." Callie accepts the large bouquet of flowers and closes the door.

"Who sent me flowers?" I follow her into the kitchen where she puts them down. Opening the card, her eyes scan over the words before looking at me. "Arizona." She beams and places a hand over her heart.

"Happy Anniversary, babe. You like them?"

"I love them! Thank you." We share a hug and a kiss. "That was a wonderful surprise."

"What's so special about an anniversary anyway?" Our little pigtailed daughter pipes up.

"They are special days that celebrate special occasions." Callie answers. We hear shuffling of the feet and our son walks in with his iPad in hand.

"Hey, I thought you and mommy were leaving."

"Geez, I guess they really want us gone." I say looking at my wife. "Our car should be here any moment. Now that you're both here listen up. Listen to Sasha and when she says go to bed, please go to bed."

"We know." Brother and sister say at the same time.

"And I want thirty minutes of reading tonight from both of you." Callie adds on. "I made chili for dinner so just ask Sasha for help when you're ready to eat. Now I need hugs all around." We each give Sofia and Noah hugs before moving into the living room and kissing Mateo and Gabriel goodbye. Twenty minutes later our car service dropped us off in front of our restaurant for the evening and we escorted directly to our table for the evening.

"Your waiter will be right with you." The hostess says leaving us with our menus.

"Good choice tonight, Arizona. I love this place." Callie slides into the U-shaped booth and I slip in on the other side. "When you take the lead on date night you do a really good job." A couple days ago I told Callie I would plan everything for our night, the flowers, the car service, the restaurant, everything.

"Only the best for you, honey." We take a few minutes to read over the menu. We give our drink orders to our waiter and when he comes back with our glasses we give our dinner selections.

"To us!" Callie says raising her glass to mine. I pick mine up and clink it against hers.

"To us!" I take a sip and let the taste sit on my lips for a moment. "Happy Anniversary, Calliope. I love you." We share a kiss and both take additional sips. Even with the buzz and chatter of the crowded restaurant, we are so locked in on each other that everything else seems to fade away.

"I'm really glad you said yes to me a few years ago." She places her glass down on the table.

"I was just glad you asked. Otherwise I was going to ask first." Putting my glass down, I rest my hand on top of hers. "I really love married life. I love us and everything we have. The kids, the house, our jobs. We're just so lucky."

"We are. Lucky and very blessed. Okay so tell me the story."

"Calliope…" I roll my eyes playfully. "You ask me this every year."

"It's a good story!"

"Fine." I clear my throat and think about our special day. "I was late coming home from work because I stopped at the store to pick up some pregnancy tests." Her face lights up as I recall the story. "I ran upstairs when I got home and took a couple of them. I remember pacing in the bathroom waiting for the results. My mind was racing, I was excited, but also very nervous. Plus, we had to get down to city hall to get married. Then all the tests said positive. I just remember I smiled and danced around a little bit before coming back downstairs. Then we went to city hall, got married, went out to dinner with Sofia and came home."

"I still can't believe you didn't tell me earlier."

"Truthfully, I was a little nervous. I didn't know how you would react. Obviously, you'd be happy, but still. There's something about saying out loud the first time that's a little nerve-racking."

"I understand. Telling Mark about Sofia was heavy."

"Exactly, but I'll never forget your face when I told you and it sank in."

"And I'll never forget the hot sex we had that night either." She smirks and takes another sip of her wine.

"That wasn't just sex, babe. That was the definition of pure love-making. Something about that night was different. Like there are certain times when the sex is much deeper and more intense and that was one of them."

"You're right about that. Do you think our four is enough?" She asks changing the subject. I think it over for a moment before answering.

"Yes, I think we're in a really good place now. I'd have endless kids with you, but I'm so content. I don't want us to go through more treatments and possible heartbreak. Your health has been getting better consistently. I think if you want to stop at four, then I agree with you. Is that what you want?"

"I think so. I'm just so happy with what we have and what we created together so far."

"We have so much more to look forward to. The twin's first day of school. Sofia and Noah going to middle and high school. Sports teams, science fairs, dance and music recitals. Prom and college." I list off. "We should take a big family trip. Like to Africa or Australia. Or maybe Tokyo."

"That would be fun. The twins would have to get older, but we can definitely plan that." Our waiter comes over with our food and we happily indulge in our meals. "So I want you to hear me out." Callie says breaking our comfortable silence.

"Okay, lay it on me."

"I was talking it over with my dad and what do you think about running your own school?"

"Wait, wait, what?" I take another bite of my chicken and carefully chew it as I digest her words.

"In two or three years, we would open a charter school right here in Seattle. My dad thinks it would great to expand the Torres brand not to mention offer a high-quality education to families that can't afford private schools. We want you to run it and be the principal."

"Callie, that's a lot to take in." I take a drink of my wine. "I love that you believe in me so much, but I'm not ready for that. I need to get more years of teaching in the classroom under my belt. I can't just jump to principal. I think it's a lovely idea and the I know your dad and the Torres Company have the financial means, but I don't have to be principal. At least not right away." The expression on her face lets me know that wasn't the answer she was expecting. "If you want to go through with it I will fully support you. I'll even teach there or be on the board of trustees, but principal…I don't know, babe."

"Fair enough, I hear you. My dad really wants to go through with it and there's a bunch of stuff to figure out. He really wants you to lead it, but I think having your input on some decisions will help a lot."

"How long have you been sitting on this?"

"A few weeks. My dad ran the idea past me and we talked it over a bit." She answers resuming her eating.

"So did you just try and give me a school for our anniversary?"

"Maybe." She shamelessly smiles.

"You are too much and I love you." Placing a hand on her thigh, I lean in for kiss. A distinctly loud cough comes from a table near us and when we look over, it's clear that a man at the table isn't fond of us expressing our love for one another. "What do you think? Should I go over there a punch him like you did that person in New York?" I ask cracking a smile.

"Ha-ha, very funny, babe. Maybe we should be the bigger person and pick up his tab."

"Admirable." I reply nodding my head. "Let's see, we've gotten angry lesbian looks, angry interracial couple looks, angry 'your kids are too loud' looks…"

"Oh, don't forget the angry breastfeeding in public looks." Callie chimes in.

"She was a real bitch." I recall annoyed about a previous encounter.

"Arizona!"

"I'm not even sorry about it, Callie. Like women have boobs and sometimes those boobs are used for feeding babies. It's life. If my kid is hungry and needs to eat no one has a right to deny that. Not to mention that guy she was eating with was checking you out."

"He wasn't."

"Oh he most definitely was. I followed his line of version and it landed right on those golden globes."

"Golden globes, really?" Callie chuckles.

"Well they are." I shrug honestly. We continue eating and decide to order a chocolate fudge brownie with vanilla ice cream for dessert to share. A few minutes later our waiter comes back.

"And here you ladies are. Let me know if you need anything else." He gives us two spoons.

"Mmm, oh my gosh so good." I say taking my first bite.

"Delicious." Calliope shakes her head in agreement. "Sof and Noah would love this."

"They would!" I take another bite. I look at Callie and she just smiles at me. "What?"

"You've got some ice cream on the corner of your mouth." I poke my tongue out and lick it off.

"Better?"

"Yep, although I much rather have liked to lick it off you."

"Trust me, you definitely get your licks in." I flirt back. We share another kiss and this one last longer than before. I feel her slide her hand under my dress and it carefully moves closer and closer to my center. "Calliope."

"I just want to check if you followed the no underwear rule. Luckily for us, no one can see what's going on under the table thanks to a long table cloth on the table. She moves closer to me while I continue to eat our dessert. "Did you follow the rule, Arizona?"

"Why don't you check for me?" Looking straight into her eyes, we hold a gaze as she inches her hand up more. I open my legs just a tad and I feel her run two fingers across my naked sex. "I guess I did, huh?"

"Pull your dress up."

"Callie."

"Just a little." I look around and notice we're not being watched, so I comply and push up my dress so she has easier access. She runs her fingers along my naked sex again and I can feel my arousal increasing. "One or two?"

"Are you seriously about to—" We always talk a big game, but it's usually teasing. We share our intimate moments alone together.

"One or two." She says again.

"Two." She slowly slips to fingers inside of me and holds them still. No moving or anything. "Again." She pulls out and pushes back in, eyeing me the whole time. This time she moves within me and I close my eyes at the pleasurable feeling. "Calliope?" I open my eyes and look at her. "Take me the hell home."

* * *

"Right there! Oh god, yes!" Callie moans out as she grinds herself against my thigh nestled between her legs. Her hands claw at my back and I push my thigh harder against her wet sex, her essence lathering my upper leg.

"Fuck, Calliope. You're so wet, baby." Our breasts rub against each other and the feeling is electric. She grinds herself harder against my leg and pulls me body impossibly closer. "You feel so good." Moans and groans escape our lips as I bring her closer to the edge. My own arousal is dripping down legs and our perspiration begins to leave a mark on the sheets. "I need to feel you closer." Sitting up, she sits in my lap and our legs tangle between each other's. Having done this before, she runs her up and down my wet slit, collecting my juices and rubs it against her soaked center. "That's so damn sexy." I watch as she continues to rub herself, getting wetter and wetter with each passing second.

"Taste yourself." She offers to fingers up to my mouth and I greedily lick everything off them. Pulling her closer to me, I part my own lips and rub my clit against hers. "Shit, that feels amazing." She says between ragged breaths. We grind and rub against each other, our juices mixes and scents filling the air. "Don't stop, Ari! I'm so close baby."

"Me too." I'm nearly lost in a trance as I watch her sex melt into mine and full breasts bounce against me. I feel her nipples on my skin and I pull hips closer to me. We briefly share a sloppy kiss, but it doesn't last long as she rips her mouth away and lets out a loud guttural sound as her orgasm rips through her body. Mine follows seconds later, but our movements never stopping. "Come again for me."

"Fuck, fuck, fuck!" Another orgasm takes over my wife's body as she shivers and quakes against me. She lets out deep breaths, leaning against me for support. I kiss her sweaty forehead and hold her until she recovers. Callie untangles herself from me and falls back on the bed.

"Damn, that was…"

"Fucking hot." I finish her sentence. I crawl up her body and start kissing her lips before moving down. I take her left breast in my mouth and swirl my tongue around her nipple before leaving a trail of kisses across her chest and repeating the same actions on her right breast. I feel her eyes on me and I continue to kiss down her torso. I leave open mouthed kisses on her scars and keep moving south.

"Where ya going?" She asks knowingly.

"To my favorite place." She bends her legs and I wrap my arms around her thighs. "You are so beautiful." Looking at her wet, glistening sex I poke my tongue out to lick up some of her arousal.

"I like watching you between my legs. It's sexy, babe."

"What's sexy is your pussy, Calliope." I lean in for another long lick between her engorged lips, knowing my bedroom mouth turns her on. I flick my tongue over her still sensitive clit. I slip my tongue inside her and instantly feel her a hand on my head as she grinds herself against my pink muscle.

"You're gonna make me come again, Ari."

"I do love a Calliope facial." I wink up at her.

"You're crazy, get up here." Releasing my hold on her legs, I crawl up her body and lay down next to her. She turns to her side and rest her head on my shoulder, throwing a leg over mine. "Tonight was amazing."

"It was." She circles a finger around on left areola. I reach for the glass of wine on the nightstand and take sip. We meant to share a glass together before we left, but instead of grabbed the bottle after we dismissed Sasha and came right upstairs. "I'm ready to go again." She says with a gleam in her eye.

"You don't have to ask twice, babe." Putting my glass down, I pull her body on top of mine and leans down for a kiss to heat things up again.

* * *

"Mommy! Mommy! Mommy!"

"Mama! Mama! Mama!" Sofia and Noah yell bursting into our room and waking us up from our deep slumber. After a few more rounds we took a quick shower together before slipping on some pajamas on going to bed. "Wake up!" Noah says crawling on me.

"I'm up, I'm up!" I nudge my wife and she wakes up to a smiling Sofia in her face.

"Can we have French toast?"

"No, I want waffles." Sofia counters.

"How about pancakes?" Callie suggests, quickly defusing any argument.

"Let's go with mama's idea." I tickle Noah and he falls over into a giggle fit.

"Mama, no!" Sofia tries to fend off Calliope, but it doesn't work and soon she's laughing nonstop.

"Stop, stop!" They repeat until we finally listen.

"You two are going to be our breakfast helpers. Go downstairs and get the mix out the pantry." They both hope off our bed and hurry downstairs. Callie checks on the baby monitor and the twins are clearly up in their cribs. We get up and go check on the boys. We fall into our normal routine of changing their diapers and changing their onesies. As we make our way downstairs with Mateo and Gabriel we hear something fall and crack.

"Noah dropped an egg!" Sofia yells.

"Sofia, be quiet!"

"We decided to stop at four, right?" I stop and turn around to ask my wife with Mateo on my left hip.

"One hundred percent, yes."

"Good." I nod.

"Sofia get some paper towels and Noah pick up the shell." I instruct as we continue down the stairs and into the kitchen.

"Honey?" I turn around at my wife's call. "I love you."

"I love you too."

 **THE END.**

 **Thanks so, so much for reading! I hope to have the epilogue up soon! Gonna be a big time jump! I hoped you liked the sequel!**


	40. Chapter 40

I don't own anything…all credit to ABC/Shondaland

 **Hope you enjoy!**

Chapter 40 – Epilogue

"What time are you leaving?" I peak my head in my 17-year old daughter's room and she's furiously typing away on her computer.

"Mom! Can you please knock?!" Sofia shuts her laptop and spins around her in desk chair to face me. "Jen is picking me up in an hour."

"Have you finished your college applications? You need to get on it if you want to apply early decision." I step into the room and lean against a wall. "You should really consider University of Washington."

"We've had this discussion a million times. I have my list and UW is not on it. I promise to work on my applications this weekend."

"Fine, fine." I throw my hands up in defeat. "You claim you're Miss Responsible so I'll let you handle it." Pushing myself off the wall, I walk over towards Sofia's closet. "What are you going to wear tonight?" I pull out a nice, modest dress shirt, but Sofia takes it from me.

"No, we're not doing this. Bye mom." Pushing me out of her room, she loudly closes the door behind her.

"I love you!" I yell towards her shut door. All I get is an inaudible moan in return.

"Hi mom! Bye mom!" Gabriel and Mateo zip past me in the hallway, running down the stairs.

"Hey, stop running in the house. And where are you two going?"

"We're going to practice out back. The first round of soccer playoffs is tomorrow!"

"Don't forget, you and mama are on snack duty." Gabriel mentions as he grabs a soccer ball from the hall closet. "And please bring the good stuff. No one wants to eat broccoli after a long soccer match."

"Veggies are good." I say making my way down the stairs. Gabriel grimaces and tosses the ball to Mateo who's already halfway out the back door. "Don't get too rough. Also, make sure you have time to clean up, mama is taking you guys to the movies tonight."

"We know." They answer in unison. At ten years old, Mateo and Gabriel have really mastered the twin thing. They complete each other sentences, help each other with homework, and practically do everything together, including playing on the same sports teams. As soon as they got big enough, Callie and I were going to give them their own rooms, but they begged to stay in the same room as long as we got them bunk beds. We both have a feeling that's going to change in a few years, but for now we're just happy they get along.

"I'm home!" Noah drops his backpack and sports bag at the door and heads straight for the kitchen, completely ignoring me in the foyer. "Is there any food?"

"Oh hi mom, how was your day? Great, I had a good day too. Sure, there's stuff in the fridge to make a sandwich." I say to myself comically. Callie comes in a few seconds later and gives me a look.

"Bad day at practice. He wasn't talking much in the car. How was your day?" Callie drops her bag and rests her arms around my waists bringing me closer to her.

"Better now that you're home." I smile up at her and place a kiss on her lips.

"Ew, can you not do that when Spencer comes over, please? I don't want her to see my moms making out right in front of her." Noah adds poking his head in the foyer. "Also, where are the chips?"

"Spencer?" I mouth to my wife.

"Upper left corner!" Callie answers. "Spencer is Noah's lady friend who is coming over tonight to watch a movie." She whispers to me.

"Oh, that's tonight?" I ask raising an eyebrow.

"Yup." She smiles releasing me. "So I guess that means I'm on chaperone duty tonight while you're at the movies with Mateo and Gabriel."

"Thank you!" She smiles and playfully hits me on the butt as she walks into the kitchen. I follow right behind her.

"Have I met Spencer before?"

"I don't think so." Noah answers as he takes a big bite of his sandwich. "Can we order pizza tonight? She likes pepperoni." Callie and I share a look.

"Anything else she like?" I ask amused.

"No that's it. And don't make it a big deal tonight. We're just going to eat pizza and chill in the basement with a movie."

"I think the living room is a better idea."

"Hey, no way! Mama said the basement was fine." Noah eagerly objects, pointing at Calliope.

"I said the basement was fine." She answers sheepishly. "He's fifteen, a little privacy is okay."

"Thank you!" Noah answers with a mouth full of food. He grabs his plate and the chip bag and leaves the kitchen. "I'm gonna finish this upstairs and take a shower."

"It seems like everyone has a busy Friday night except me." I take a seat at breakfast bar and Calliope immediately grabs a glass from the cabinet and pulls out a bottle of wine. "Stay home with me." I playfully beg my wife.

"As much as I want to, I promised the twins I'd take them to the movies." She slides the now half-full glass over to me. "Once I get home, we can get in bed and catch up on our shows." Coming to my side, she tucks some hair behind my ear and looks at me lovingly. "Now as much as I would like to pick up our make out session from earlier, I need to go take a shower."

"Fine." I take a sip of my wine and an idea comes to me as my wife turns to leave. "Wait." I get up from my seat and lower my voice to a whisper. "How about a quick shower together?"

"How quick are we talking?" Callie asks intrigued.

"I look behind me to the glass windows and see Mateo and Gabriel still practicing hard. "Like ten minutes tops."

"I can work with that." She smiles. "Sofia?"

"In her room getting ready for tonight, the twins are paying us no mind and Noah…"

"…is in his room." Callie finishes my sentence. "Let's go."

* * *

Forty-five minutes later, Callie and I are sitting in our room. She's in a chair flipping through a magazine and I'm lying in bed watching the news. "So what kind of party is Sofia going to?"

"I think it's at Jake's house. Or maybe Jason, I'm not sure. Jen is picking her up and dropping her off. I'm assuming it's your typical high-school party."

"Typical as in no parents, loud music, and someone supplies the alcohol?" I ask perking up. "I know she's heading to college in a year, but should we really let her go to this party?"

"Honey," Callie closes her magazine. "Sofia is a smart girl, she knows right from wrong. Besides, she's been to plenty of parties before. This is nothing different. At least we know who she's going with and where she's going to be. When she's in college we'll have no clue what she's up to. Ever." She pauses and lets her statement hand in the air. "We can only hope and assume that she'll be going to class and making the right decisions socially."

"You're right."

"I usually am." She grins back. Checking her watch, she gets up and begins brushing her hair in the mirror. "I guess me and the boys should get ready to go too." We hear a knock on the door. "Come in!" Callie answers.

"I need some money for tonight. My emergency cash fund is kinda low." Callie and I barely hear the words because we're both staring at her 'outfit' for the party. "What?" She asks looking at our reactions. The short jean shorts are one thing, but the black, tight crop top pushes over the top. Not to mention it's more than obvious she's wearing a push up bra.

"Yeah, you'll get that emergency cash when you come back in here with some actual clothes on." Pointing up and down at her outfit, I get up and cross the room to stand closer to her. Sofia looks to Callie for help. "Oh no, don't look to her for help. You're changing, end of discussion."

"Honestly Sofia I can't even believe you think that's appropriate for tonight." Callie says equally surprised and annoyed as me. "Go change."

"What? No way. Please, come on."

"Change." Callie says pointing to the door, but Sofia doesn't budge. "Your choice. You can change into something else, you can stay home tonight with your mom and brother, or I can FaceTime your dad and he can lecture you for ten minutes about your outfit, which you'll ultimately have to change anyway. Your decision." Callie folds her arms across her chest. They have a stare off for a few seconds before Callie pulls her phone out of her pocket. "Oh I bet Mark would love to see this, wouldn't he babe?"

"I think so, I mean we could just call him now." I play along with my wife.

"Fine, I'll go change." Turning around on her heels, she turns and walks out of our room with a loud sigh.

"What was that you were saying about good choices?" Taking a seat on the edge of the bed, I watch as my wife continues to get ready for the movies.

"Okay, so she has a few things to learn. Trust me, if she goes to school on the east coast she won't wear that skimpy outfit cause it'll be too cold out." And just like that, the thought of my oldest daughter going away to school so far hits me. "Mateo, Gabriel we need to leave soon!" Callie calls out. Five minutes later, Sofia returns our bedroom with tight jeans on instead of her mini shorts.

"Is this okay?"

"Sof, can't you wear a shirt that covers your entire stomach?" I ask.

"It's only going to be warm for like a few more days. Come on, mom." We both look at Callie waiting for her response.

"Take off the push up bra and put a regular one on. Where the hell did you even get that?"

"I got it online." She readily answers.

"Whatever, take it off and it's fine."

"But mama!"

"Sofia your boobs are nearly bursting out of your shirt, if you can even call it that. Now take it off."

"But Jen is going to be here in five minutes."

"Then I suggest your hurry." Callie responds. "You're seventeen, you don't need to try so hard. Now please go change." Letting out a loud sigh, she returns to her room to change again.

"I knew that credit card was a bad idea."

"No, the credit card was fine, Mark increasing her limit to $5,000 a month was a bad idea. I swear she has a new wardrobe every month." Callie says. "Alright, I gotta go. Can you handle that situation?"

"I got it. Have fun tonight." She gives me a kiss goodnight and leaves the room. After using the bathroom, I grab some money from my wallet and walk down to Sofia's room. "Sof? Can I come in?"

"Fine." She reluctantly answers. "Here, use this only if you need to. Leave your credit card her so it doesn't get lost or stolen." I hand her the money and she stuffs it into her back pocket. "Call me if you need anything. You know the rules." I say sternly.

"I got it, mom."

"Please be responsible tonight. I know you always are, but still. And text me the address of where you're going."

"I will." She pulls her phone out her pocket and looks it over. "Jen is outside, I gotta go."

"Curfew is twelve-thirty." She nods and heads out of her room. I walk across the hall to Noah's room. The door is cracked open so I take that as my invitation to walk in.

"Seriously Noah?" Waving my hand to move the strong smell of cologne away from my nose, I see him doing some last-minute push-ups on the ground. "It's a little heavy don't you think?"

"I drop the bottle on my desk and it cracked open and spilled on the floor. I opened a window to try and air it out." He gets up and throws a blue t-shirt on. "Everyone gone?"

"Pretty much."

"You know mom you work so hard, you deserve a nice, quiet night out. Maybe call up Aunt Teddy and have a girl's night." He smiles, trying to sweet talk me into leaving him home alone.

"Nice try, kiddo. I promise I'll give you two some privacy. So what's the deal with Spencer? You like her?"

"Mom, what?" He blushes and shakes his head. "We're just friends. That's it."

"Okay, okay. Just friends, I got it. I'll be in my room if you need anything." I leave his room and return to mine. I continue to watch the news for a while until I flip through some cable channels and find a movie to settle on. When Spencer arrives, I go down to greet her, but Noah not so casually ushers me away upstairs again. Another hour or so passes until I hear the doorbell alerting me of the pizza delivery. I go downstairs to receive the food and give the man a tip and walk into the kitchen.

"Pizza is here!" I grab some plates from the cabinet and begin plating the hot food. After a few minutes, I notice I don't any feet rumbling up the basement stairs, so I take the plates with me and head down to the basement. "Pizza is here!" I call out again. Once I get to the bottom of the stairs I notice a movie playing on the screen, but I don't see Noah or Spencer. I drop the food on the nearby coffee table and look around the room. I see Spencer's purse on a chair, so obviously she didn't leave. Then I hear muffled voices coming from the laundry room.

"What the hell?" I mumble to myself. I walk towards the door and hear laughter coming from behind it. "Spencer? Noah?" Once I swing open the door I see Noah's hands around the hem of Spencer's shirt – in the middle of pulling it off – leaving her baby blue bra on display for me to see. My eyes bug out of my head and Noah looks like a dear caught in headlights.

"Mom! What the heck!" He yells flustered.

"Oh my gosh, oh my gosh. This is so not what this looks like, Mrs. Robbins." Spencer says pulling her shirt down quickly.

"Noah, what the hell are you doing!?" Pushing him out the way, I stand between the two looking at them for an explanation. "Someone say something now!"

"I swear mom, it's not what it looks like. Spencer spilled some soda on her shirt so I suggested she take it off—"

"Noah Caleb." I loudly interject.

"He suggested he take it off and throw it on the wash." Spencer hurriedly answers. "My shirt got stuck on an earring, so he was just helping me get it off."

"I was going to give her a t-shirt from the dryer to wear while hers was washing. I swear that's it." I can tell he's being completely honest, but I still have a few doubts and my thoughts are all over the place. "Spencer, you can throw your shirt in the wash, the detergent is on top of the machine. Come with me, Noah." I pull him out of the room and close the laundry door behind us. "Noah Caleb, I swear to God you better not having been doing anything else besides what you just told me in there." I look at him directly in the eyes.

"Mom I swear I would never do that. Especially not with you in the house!"

"Excuse me?" I respond loudly. "Noah, I swear—"

"I mean I would never do it at all." He rapidly follows up. "Never."

"Better answer." I take a deep breath and calm down some. "Your food is on the table. I'm sitting in the living room and leaving the basement door open."

"Mom, come on."

"Don't fight me on this, Noah." I snap back, pointing a finger at him. "I'll be upstairs. Spencer has to leave when her shirt finishes washing and drying."

"Okay." He responds putting his head down. "Mom?"

"Yes?" I let out a deep breath and rub my hands over my face.

"I promise nothing happened. I was just being helpful, ya know?"

"Yeah, I know." I answer softly. "Thank you." I walk up the stairs and immediately refill my wine glass from earlier, grab a slice of pizza, and move into the living room.

* * *

"Tell your mom thanks and I'm super sorry." I hear Spencer's hushed voice. "Tonight was fun. We should do it again."

"We should. Sorry about my mom, she can be a little much." Noah responds with a chuckle. "Text me when you get home."

"Sure, bye Noah." I hear the front door open and close. Getting up from the couch where I dozed off, I see Noah looking out the small window next to the door.

"What are you doing?"

"Just making sure she got in her car okay." When he's done, he turns around and looks at me. "I'm going up to my room. Thanks for tonight."

"I'm just glad you had fun, but not too much fun." I ruffle his hair and he smiles before going up the stairs. I grab my empty glass and plate from the living room and move into the kitchen to clean up. Within two minutes the front door opens again.

"Upstairs, brush your teeth, and in the bed. You need as much rest you can get for soccer."

"Okay." "Thanks mama." Gabriel and Mateo answer.

"Kitchen, babe!" I call out. Callie comes striding in and grabs a slice of leftover pizza from the box. "How was the movie?"

"Really good, I actually liked this one. I didn't realize it was opening weekend. The theater was packed. How did everything go here?"

"Okay for the most part." I begin wiping down the countertop. "A little mishap earlier."

"What happened?" My wife asks curiously.

"Well I went downstairs to bring Noah and Spencer some pizza and I caught them in the laundry room with Noah taking off Spencer's shirt."

"Woah, woah, what?"

"It was a misunderstanding. Her shirt got caught on her earring and Noah was helping her get it off. She spilled something on it and was going to throw it in the wash. I freaked out obviously. I mean there was my fifteen-year-old son helping a girl take off her top and she was just standing in some way too tight pants a blue bra. It was a lot to digest in five seconds."

"Are we sure it was just him helping her out and not something else?" Callie skeptically asks.

"Yeah I'm sure. Noah was honest about it and I think they're just friends for now. Besides, I don't think he's…" I cut myself off and shake my head. "I mean do you think he's kissing girls and possibly doing other stuff?" I wince out. We both take a moment to think about it. "I mean he is a fifteen-year-old boy, I remember what Tim was like at fifteen…kinda". I look at Callie and her eyes swiftly move away from mine. "Hey, what was that for? Do you know something? Oh my gosh is he having sex?" I gasp. "Tell me what know."

"Okay, okay, relax. I don't he's having sex. He's way too young, but I did catch him watching porn once."

"WHAT?!"

"Keep it down." Callie laughs a little and grabs my arm to bring me towards her. "I walked into his room to ask him something a couple weeks ago and I caught like three seconds of it before he slammed his computer shut. From what I can tell it was innocent. He was just curious, which I guess is understandable. We both just acted like nothing happened. I'm not ready for that talk yet, but maybe I need to be all things considering."

"Curious, okay. I can get with that. I don't want him watching porn though. Too many unrealistic expectations."

"Trust me, I think me catching him was enough to deter him from watching more for a while." My wife responds.

"Wait, you said it was innocent. What did you mean?" I look at Callie quizzically. "What's innocent porn and more importantly how would you know?" She straightens up and takes a few beats to think about her answer. "Callie?"

"I mean from the little preview I saw it was basic." She shrugs. "Something you could find on the Internet."

"You can find everything on the internet, Calliope." I quip back. "I'm curious to hear what you mean by that."

"Oh come on, you know what I mean."

"No, I actually don't." I respond amused.

"All I meant was it was just a guy and a girl kissing. They were naked on the bed in the missionary position...I think. Nothing too crazy."

"Huh. When was the last time you watched some?"

"How did the conversation turn around on me?" She's deflecting and we both know it. "It's been years, Arizona. I've got everything I need with you." She circles her arms around me and slips her hands into my back pockets. "Would you be mad if I did?"

"Not mad, but annoyed. I don't want you getting all hot and bothered by some lady with big boobs who has a super waxed and super glossed up body."

"I mean her boobs don't _have_ to be big." Callie murmurs. "Besides, who said it was a girl?" She smirks.

"Calliope!" I swat her arm playfully. "Guy, girl. No one."

"I'm kidding, babe. I would never. Like I said, you're all I need." She slowly backs me against the nearest wall and begins kissing my neck.

"You sure about that?" I throw my head back against the wall, giving her all the space she needs to explore my neck. Her hands move up my hips and under my shirt as she caresses my back.

"Definitely. Even when you're not around you're my inspiration."

"What do you mean?" Pausing her kisses, she lifts her head.

"Sometimes when I'm really, _really_ missing you I pull out my phone and look at the picture of you in that skimpy yellow bikini you wore three Christmases ago on our date night in Hawaii."

"I don't remember us taking any pictures that night." I press a quick kiss to her lips.

"I snuck a few." She confesses. "For some reason, those pictures really do it for me."

"And what exactly do they do?"

"Why don't you stick a hand in my pants to find out?" She smirks back before crushing our lips together. She sticks a thigh between my legs and grinds against me. I see the oven clock behind Callie's head a make a mental note of the time. It's ten-thirty, giving Sofia hours until she has to be home. "Arizona?" Callie pulls back when she notices I'm not responding to her kisses and advances. "Where'd you go?"

"Nowhere, sorry." I shake my head. "But I think we should go upstairs."

* * *

After we continued our kitchen kisses upstairs, we both fell asleep. Well Callie did, I've been up watching the clock waiting for our daughter to get home. Callie and I take turns being the paranoid parent and I guess tonight is my night. "Callie?"

"What?" She mumbles, still in a deep sleep.

"It's twelve forty-five and Sofia isn't home yet."

"Okay." Is all I get back.

"Okay?" I repeat. "It's twelve-forty-five and her curfew is twelve-thirty. I tried her cell, but it went straight to voicemail." That gets her attention and she wakes up.

"Let me try calling her." She grabs her phone off the nightstand and unlocks it.

"What's that going to do? I just tried that."

"Well maybe—" We both stop talking when we hear the doorbell. We share a concerned look and quickly get out of bed.

"Why did the doorbell ring? She has a key." We hurry down the stairs together and I'm the first one to the door.

"Mrs and-" The young looking police officer pauses for a moment and looks between Callie and I.

"They're married." An annoyed looking Sofia answers.

"Right okay, Mrs and Mrs. Torres my partner and I were called to a house party because of loud noise. We shut the party down, but it seems your daughter's ride home is intoxicated. Ms. Griffin is in the car with my partner." He points to the squad car on the street with Jen inside. "Your daughter wasn't drinking, but seeing as she had no ride home we offered her one. Have a good night."

"Thank you, officer." I grab Sofia by the arm and drag her inside and shut the door.

"Before you start the scolding, my phone died midway through the party so I couldn't call an Uber or taxi. Also, the cop was kind of hot, right?"

"Were you drinking?" Callie starts, completely ignoring Sofia's comments.

"No, I didn't have anything. The cop said I was fine." Callie and I share a look. She seems completely sober and the police officer did vouch for her. "I promise. Relax, moms."

"You can't go out for two weeks. You were passed curfew." I state firmly.

"So not fair! We were about to leave at twelve fifteen, but then the cops came and shut the party down. It took a while for the party to completely end and then they drove us here after checking id's and stuff. I would've been on time if Jen didn't get so wasted."

"We'll talk about it in the morning. Go get some sleep." I point to the stairs.

"And make better friends. You know, ones who don't get drunk when they are responsible for driving you home." Callie adds. "Love you."

"Whatever." Sofia marches up the steps and waves a hand at us.

"She sure has changed from that cute, little, bubbly baby I met almost sixteen and a half years ago." I turn to my wife and lean my head on her shoulder.

"You're telling me." Callie replies rubbing my back. "Seems like things were easier back then."

"I think they were," I pause. "but our love has always been the same. In fact, I think it may have grown."

"Yeah, I think so too."

 **Thanks so much for reading! I know epilogues usually end things in a cute, little bow, but I wanted to give a glimpse into their life with all the kids being older. Your support has been tremendous and I deeply appreciate it. I can't believe I actually finished two stories. Thanks for all the comments, PMs, favorites, follows. I'll always have a soft spot in my heart for Calzona! Special thanks to musicforsoul for actually pushing me to with this sequel. For now, I'll be reading other stories on here and reliving happier Calzona moments on Tumblr. Lol. Until next time...**


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